Our Raining Symphony
by Renica Swavely
Summary: Spike's death has taken its toll on Faye. When he returns to the Bebop as if nothing has happened,she throws a fit, leaves, & gets herself in trouble with a new bounty. Who will come to save her now?
1. Edward's Gift

**Disclaimer:** This is my first Cowboy Bebop fic. I do not own Faye, Spike, Ed, Ein, Jet from Cowboy Bebop. I am only writing this fic out of pure enjoyment. It takes place after the last episode, about two years later, when everyone believes Spike to be dead. Enjoy! _Neveada Sierriana_

**Chapter One: Edward's Gift**

Faye sat in her room on the Bebop, trying to figure out what to do. Jet was out on a bounty and ever since Ed had left with Ein, things just weren't the same.

_Damn you, Lunkhead_, she thought to herself, as she stared up at the ceiling. _Why'd you have to go and die on me?_

Ever since Spike had left, off to find Julia, or fight Vicious, or whatever the hell he had gone away for, she hadn't been the same. The ship was lonely without another person she could at least argue with. She debated whether to go off to another bar, but after last night's episode, she doubted Jet would keep her on board anymore.

He had had to drag her out of the bar at two in the morning, nearly dead drunk. Piling her into the ship, he had taken her back to the Bebop, before throwing her into the shower and turning on the water. When she had woken up, hours later, he was gone, and she was soaked.

She had made herself a large pot of coffee, taking her time to drink it as she dried off. Once or twice, she had had to make a quick dash to the bathroom. Hangovers were a bitch. Most of the day she had spent on the couch, thinking. It had hardly gotten her anywhere, but then again, there wasn't much else to do.

Her thoughts had been mostly centered on a certain puffy haired man, of slim build and, fluid motions. He was a man normally seen in a blue suit, with yellow undershirt, and matching tie. His fighting technique was the same way he looked at life. He was impulsive by nature, but what he fought, he was liquid, water that fell just past your fingertips before pounding you with the force of a waterfall.

A tear escaped her eye, but Faye lazily brushed it aside. She couldn't continue doing this. This being the way she lied around in a deep state of depression every day for the last two years. Jet had told her numerous times that it wasn't healthy. He had even bought her meat one night, just so she didn't have to eat another cup of noodles. But the sight had only made her cry, as she thought of all the times Spike had asked for meat instead of carbs. After that, Jet had kept his worries to words.

Faye could understand why Jet was so upset and, in a way, protective of her. Right after Spike had been confirmed dead, she had gone after a bounty. While on the search, she had followed the guy into a bar. She had taken a seat to the back, watching him with a lusty gaze so he wouldn't catch on to her real purpose.

A waiter had walked by sometime during the night and spilled ice on her by accident. When Faye went to clean it off of herself in the bathroom, someone had slipped something in her drink. She came back, completely forgetting the first rule about drinking on the job, and finished her glass in one gulp.

Only ten minutes later, her vision was blurry, and she was beginning to lose feeling in her limbs. Realizing what had happened, she had called Jet. He had sped down to get her, fearing he'd lose the last of his company.

When he got there, she was sprawled out on the floor, but she wasn't the only one. Nearly the entire bar was out cold. Jet stepped over them all, expecting the worse for Faye, but when he checked her pulse, he knew the drug was only intended to put her to sleep for a few hours. She'd be fine. He asked the bartender about the others while paying off Faye's tab.

The man said a stranger had come into the bar, noticing Faye's condition and beat the shit out of all who had tried to get a hold of her. After that, he had checked on her, then left. Jet found this to be a bit unusual, but he hadn't pondered over it long. He took Faye home, and waited by the couch until she woke up. That's when things had gotten weird.

"Spike," she whispered.

No, Faye," he had shook his head slowly. "Spike's dead, I'm Jet."

"No," she smiled, "Spike saved me." Then she had fallen back asleep, leaving Jet to wonder about that stranger the bar owner had been talking about. Finally, they had both decided it had been the drug. Whoever had come to save her, had looked like Spike, and the drugs had made her think, it was him, but it wasn't really Spike, because he was dead.

Faye sighed, another tear running down her cheek, before hitting the covers of her bed. Was this how she was going to live the rest of her life? She had always believed at some point or another, she'd meet a really great guy, retire from bounty hunting, get a real job, and have a nice family. You couldn't be a mother and a bounty hunter. It was too dangerous and if she ever did have kids, which was looking pretty bad now, she wanted them to be safe.

Briefly she wondered about Julia and Spike. If they had stayed together and he had never been picked up by Jet, would he have been a father? He had loved that woman so much, that Faye doubted he would have been anything else. She tried to picture what his children would have looked like, when she heard the hanger close. Jet was back.

Forcing herself up, she rose from her bed, leaving the security of her room to see what he had brought back.

"FAYE-FAYE!" No sooner had she taken one out of the hall, something had latched onto her waist, crushing the air out of her lungs, and nearly breaking her ribs.

"Hey Edward," she smiled, patting the redhead.

"Ed so happy to see Faye-Faye," the younger girl announced in her ever-playful voice. A short, stubby dog barked by Faye's feet. "And Ein is happy to see Faye-Faye too!"

"That's great Edward," Faye said, clenching her jaw, "but how about you let go of me!"

"Okie dokie!" Just as easily as she had spoken, the limber girl unleashed Faye from the death trap of her arms. She looked around the ship, poking about like normal, as if she hadn't been gone for so long.

Faye looked at Jet for an explanation. "I caught the bounty, but I also picked up some other things," he told her, indicating Ed and Ein. Faye merely shrugged, not wanting to show how glad she was to have something back to normal. She took a seat on the couch, lying down, with her arms folded behind her head. Jet left to work on his bonsai plants, so she decided to take a snooze.

"Faye-Faye!" Something launched itself onto her stomach. Faye sat up with the impact. "Where's Spike-person?" Ed asked, innocently. Biting her lip, Faye demanded herself not to cry, even if it was only in front of a young girl and her dog. "What wrong? Did Spike-person and Faye-Faye have a spat-spat?" Faye only wished it were that simple. Not completely understanding Ed, she didn't know how much about death the girl actually understood.

"Ed," she began hoarsely, "Spike is dead."

"Oooooh," Ed nodded, acting like she understood what Faye had just said. "Okie dokie," she grinned, before doing a series of cartwheels over to where she had normally had her hacking equipment. She pulled a huge suitcase over from out of nowhere, and opened it. There was all new equipment and something else. "Here Faye-Faye," she said, pushing the box over to her. "Edward bought Faye-Faye a present while Ed was gone."

"Thanks kid," she smiled sadly. Inside, she was deeply touched that Ed would even consider spending money on her to buy her something.

"Well open! Open!" Ed cried, delighted. As if in on the secret, Ein got up from where he had been sleeping and came over, wagging his little tail at her.

"Alright, alright," Faye waved at them, slowly opening the box to reveal, well she wasn't really sure what it was. "What is it?"

"Computer!" Edward cried. She picked it up and carried it back to Faye's room, running the entire way, with Ed following her, and then Faye, slower, at a walking pace. "Here we goes," Ed said, sitting on Faye's bed, with the thing already set up. "Now Faye-Faye can be like Radical Edward!" she did a leap off the bed.

"Um," Faye scratched her neck, "thanks Ed." She knew nothing about computers, a little bit about how to find a bounty, but that was about it.

"No problem, Faye-Faye," Ed saluted her, then ran off, Ein following her, yelping from hunger.

Faye sighed, slinking down onto her bed, with the machine. What now? She decided that she might as well try it out, so she did. In five minutes, she had logged onto something called a chat room.

            The internet was weird. There were so many places to go that Faye found it impossible to believe that such a young girl like Ed could navigate through it all. This thing called a chat room was weird too. All these sentences kept popping up on her screen, after odd names like ShimmeyKinks69 and SaucerPlate778. Suddenly, a small box appeared in the middle of her screen.

            "The Faye-Faye!" Ed pressed her face up against the screen of her computer, which gave Faye a rather interesting view from her own computer.

            "Ed, what are you doing?"

            "Talking to the Faye-Faye from my computer-puter!" she announced happily, licking the screen.

            As long as she was here, Faye decided to make her useful. "Hey Ed, what is a chat room?" she asked.

Ed typed a bunch of things on her end, then grinned. "Ah-ha! Faye-Faye is in an adult-adulty place. The Faye-Faye is talking to other people without talking to them like the Faye-Faye is talking to Edward right now." The younger girl hummed to herself and began typing again. "Faye-Faye should have a name-name."

Right before her eyes, Faye noticed that on the screen, right by the typing box, letters and numbers started to appear. She realized that with Ed's hacking capabilities, she could manipulate the present she had just bestowed upon her, but since she had no intention of using it for anything serious, Faye didn't really mind. When the numbers and letters stopped moving around, they had formed the code name: HoTyElLoWsHoRtS28. Faye rolled her eyes.

"Edward has gracefully given the Faye-Faye a name," Ed put her palms together in front of her face, as if she were about to pray, then she solemnly bowed, and the little box that had displayed her face, blinked off of Faye's screen.

Now all she had to do was start typing. That was how to communicate with the other people, but did she really want to? Some of the conversations seemed more fit for another form of work a female who wore hot yellow shorts would be in, not the bounty hunting business, so before she typed anything, she entered a different room, labeled Dangerous Occupations.

Upon entering, the screen posted a little banner to let everyone else know that someone knew had entered the room, then Faye swallowed, and began typing.

**HoTyElLoWsHoRtS28**: Hello?

**MeMoRyPhAsEd29**: Hey there.

**HoTyElLoWsHoRtS28**: First time in a chat room. My roommate just gave me a computer.

**MeMoRyPhAsEd29**: Really? Not much for technology?

**HoTyElLoWsHoRtS28**: No, I prefer the real deal, not some cyber bullshit.

**SpAnKyRuBaRB87**: Hey HoTyElLoWsHoRtS28, you're not into technology crap, but how about cyber sex?

**FreakyDarling69**: HoTyElLoWsHoRtS28, how about going out on the town with a real man? Won't charge you the first time. Promise.

**HoTyElLoWsHoRtS28**: Buzz off, you horny nitwits.

**NiGhTtImEcOpAnIoN32**: You sound kinda aggressive. I like that in my women.

**SpAnKyRuBaRB87**: Me too!

**MeMoRyPhAsEd29**: Wanna talk somewhere else?

**HoTyElLoWsHoRtS28**: Any place is better than this.

Faye couldn't believe their assumptions, just because of the name Ed had given her. She knew the girl was far too young and innocent to understand anything about the sexual connotations that came with a name like HoTyElLoWsHoRtS28, so she couldn't yell at her. She gasped, as something in bright red appeared across her screen.

**MeMoRyPhAsEd29** invites you to a private chat

There were two buttons under the message. One on the right read: Decline. The other, on the left read: Accept. Faye bit her bottom lip, wondering what she should do. She looked over her shoulder, her bedroom door, wide open for the world to look in on her. It wasn't as if she was conversing with an enemy, but still, she had a funny feeling in the pit of her stomach. She got up, crossed the room, and closed the door. Then, feeling better, she went back to her bed, and pressed Accept.

Unlike the chat room, this place was only her and the other person, who had seemed to be interested in just talking with her, something she found appealing, since he hadn't tried to make a pass at her, though physically it was impossible for him anyway. How she knew it was a guy, she wasn't sure, but she was sure he wasn't a girl. Even a lesbian wouldn't bother to talk to her. Faye didn't know what it was about her, but she seemed to draw men to her, not women, and that applied to all forms of each gender.

**MeMoRyPhAsEd29**: Hey, you there?

**HoTyElLoWsHoRtS28**: Yeah, where are we?

**MeMoRyPhAsEd29**: Private chat room, where only you and I can talk, not those other jerks.

**HoTyElLoWsHoRtS28**: Interesting. Um…what do you wanna talk about?

**MeMoRyPhAsEd29**: Anything. You pick.

**HoTyElLoWsHoRtS28**: Ok, what's with the name?

**MeMoRyPhAsEd29**: I have a bad memory. You?

**HoTyElLoWsHoRtS28**: Confession…I own the worse looking hot yellow shorts, that could easily be identified as bad forms of underwear. They are so short it's scandalous.

**MeMoRyPhAsEd29**: Are you a stripper?

Faye glared at the screen. Her Mr. Perfect was turning out to be as bad as the others. She thoughts of signing off, and telling Edward to take this piece of crap back, but then, she decided not to. There was something about this guy. She couldn't put her finger on it, but it was nice to talk to him, to have a normal conversation with someone, someone who didn't need to know her to talk to her. It was almost refreshing, a way to spend her time instead of mourning Spike.

**HoTyElLoWsHoRtS28**: Are you?

**MeMoRyPhAsEd29**: Ok, sorry I asked. That's an unfair question.

**HoTyElLoWsHoRtS28**: Damn straight. In fact, I didn't even pick this name, it kinda came with the computer. My friend, the one who gave it to me, she hooked me up with all this stuff. I don't understand any of it.

**MeMoRyPhAsEd29**: Do you have an e-mail address?

**HoTyElLoWsHoRtS28**: Huh?

Faye stared at her screen. What was that? Only one way to find out. "ED!" She called. Within seconds, the door burst open as Ed came somersaulting into the room, Ein ran in, trying to keep up, and Jet yelled about the racket. Faye only rolled her eyes, and pointed at the screen where it said e-mail address. "What's that and how do I get one?"

Ed rolled onto the bed, putting her red haired head in Faye's lap. The older girl gritted her teeth in frustration, but tried to remind herself that this was a child she was dealing with and a very smart child who could save her social life if only dealt with in the correct manner, which meant she'd have to be patient.

Several minutes passed with Ed working backwards on the computer, her head still in Faye's lap. And that's how Jet found them. He leaned on the door, trying to see what they were doing. Faye was desperately trying to keep her cool. She was afraid if she didn't say something soon, her mystery guy would leave. Her suspicions were confirmed when another sign, much like the one she had received earlier, popped up on her screen in bright red.

 (**MeMoRyPhAsEd29** has signed off )

"Bad luck Faye-Faye," Ed shook her head sadly.

"Why?" Jet asked, interested. "What happened? Did you lose you information on a bounty?" Of course Jet would think she was working on something as boring as research, something Ed had always done prior to her leaving. After the drug incident, he hadn't let her leave Bebop without his company. She felt like an eight-year-old herself.

"No," Faye grumbled, shoving Ed off of her. "Ed just brought me back a present and was trying to salvage somewhat of a social life for me, since I'm the shrew and I have none." She walked out of her room, not wanting the presence of the others at the moment. All she wanted right now was a shower. A long hot one, sounded like the ticket.

She stood under the water, feeling her legs go weak. Slowly, she settled herself down into the tub of hot foamy water. Closing her eyes, she slipped her headband out of her hair, than closed her eyes, leaning back against the wall. The water around her was a like a cocoon, stealing away all the chill in her body. She wished she could feel this sensation all the time, but alas, soon Jet would come pounding on the door to make her get up for something stupid like cleaning.

Like clockwork, a fist started to beat on the door. "Faye! You've been in there ten minutes! You're wasting my water! Get out and do something useful! The hanger looks awful! You could clean that up!"

Dunking herself under the water, she ignored him. All she wanted to do right now was be alone. She needed to think. The unsettling feeling of unhappiness had sprung in her heart when the unknown person she had confided in online had signed off. What did that mean? Had she ever really loved Spike? Or had it just been another fling of lust on her part? Two years was a long time and he was dead, it wasn't as if he was coming back. Maybe she had loved him, but now she was thinking of other options, a way to escape from her depression by turning to another. She surfaced for air, than dunked lower into the water, staring up at the dimly lit world above her, as if she was trapped.

Could she ever completely live without Spike Spiegel?

**A/N:** I realized about five hours after I posted the first chapter that I didn't like it, so I added another three pages. I know that was the quickest revision ever, but I'm a perfectionist. How did you like it? That was only the first chapter. I know it was a small cliffy, but hey, that's what I do. Tell me what you think, I would really appreciate some criticism, but no flames please. Thank you! _Neveada Sierriana_


	2. The Swordfish Still Flies

**Chapter Two: The Swordfish Still Flies**

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            When I finally got my lazy butt out of the tub, I realized that I couldn't hear anything, not even Ed. I wondered what was up, and quickly dressed. Surprisingly, I do own other clothing, some very elegant, than just my hot yellow shorts and matching top. Thinking Jet was going to make me clean the hangers like he had threatened, I put on an old baggy shirt and gray sweat pants, which were already covered in oil and grease stains.

            I yawned and stretched, glancing at that machine on the top of my bed, sitting there with its blank black screen, as if silently beckoning for me to click it on. I shook my head, going to the door, ready to see what was going on, but instead, I pivoted around and went back, turning it on. I had been pulled to it, like a moth to a flame, trapped in its mystery.

            The screen lit up, revealing my latest wallpaper, which happened to be a dozen different Edward facial expressions courtesy of Edward. I rolled my eyes, but didn't pause too long before connecting to the internet. I was longing to hear back from that guy. I don't know what was making me so anxious to talk to someone I didn't even know, but there was something about him. It made my insides go crazy and my heart beat wildly.

            I was always a bit of a tease, but there was something different about this one. I knew that my body was sexy, something most men could only dream of holding, but if I got this guy to fall for me by just talking to him, then I was still in the game, despite the fact that I would soon be thirty. That made me shudder. It was just a mental thing I had. 30 = old, old Faye.

            Ed had given me an e-mail address. It was exactly the same as my…what was it called…screen name? Yeah, that was it, screen name, so I only had to remember that edein was my password and then of course, what my online name was. Though, recalling how the other men in the chat room had taken to my name, I was thinking about discarding the yellow side of my wardrobe pronto!

            As soon as I found out how to get into my e-mail account, I decided to try another go at the chat room I had previously been in. However, **MeMoRyPhAsEd29** was not present. I shook with frustration, nearly throwing the machine across the room. How was I supposed to seduce someone if they weren't around for me to seduce? Biting my bottom lip, I hesitantly turned off the computer, with a curse.

            Standing up, I left my room, going to the hanger. I had only taken one step inside, when I saw something that was impossible. The Swordfish was landing in its normal spot, just like it had never been gone._ Please let it be Jet, please let it be Jet_, I kept saying to myself, praying to all that was good and decent that it would be Jet and not…

            "Hey there, shrew," he nodded to me, brushing past to get into the living room.

            "Spike?"

            I felt something inside pull at what was left of my heart. Then I was fuming with anger, anger that hadn't been unleashed for the past two years. That lunkhead! How dare he stroll in here like he owned the place? Jet and I had been running since he left and we had been doing a pretty damn good job too. He couldn't just waltz back into our lives like this! I wouldn't let him and I knew for a fact that Jet wouldn't allow him. I turned around only to see an extraordinary sight.

            "Welcome back, Spike!" Jet patted the idiot on the back, as if he had only been gone on the latest mission. Ein ran over, wagging his short stub of a tail, and Ed threw herself into his lap. Was I the only one who saw a problem with this scene?

            "Why the long face, Faye? Did you really miss me that much?" he teased, lighting up a cigarette. I glared at him, ready to throw one of my famous tantrums.

            "You bastard," I hissed, swinging my hand through the air, and slapping him hard across the face.

His head snapped with the movement and I was surprise that I had made contact with his flesh. Usually, he was speedy enough to dodge one of my attacks, but not this time. Seething, I stared down at him, with the very glare of death. Jet remained silent, stunned by my actions, and even Edward was at a loss for words. But out of all of them, Spike's reaction was the most priceless. He sat there, staring back at me, one side of his face so red, it looked as if he had gotten sunburn. His cigarette lie on the floor, forgotten.

            "Faye, what has gotten into you?" Jet finally snapped, reaching up from where he was sitting in his chair, to yank me away from Spike.

            "What has gotten into me?!" I hollered, making Ein whine with fear. Ed made a mean face at the dog, and it ran to hide in the kitchen, Ed running after him to apologize. I groaned, grabbing tuffs of my hair. "He abandoned us two years ago. We thought he died and tried to get back to normal. Now all of a sudden, he's back, and you aren't even a tiny bit upset that he dumped us for something better, only to come back now when he's a worthless jerk again?" I shouted.

            "You don't know that for sure," Jet stated matter-of-factly.

            I put my hands on my hips, facing Spike. "Tell me I'm wrong, just tell me," I growled.

            He shrugged from where he sat, lighting another cigarette. "You're wrong," he said simply. I expected him to give me a valid reason. Instead what I got was, "I'm not a jerk."

            Screaming in frustrated fury, I stormed back to my room, mumbling to myself.

            I laid in my bed the rest of the night, staring up at the ceiling, much like I had for the past two years, but this staring was different. I wasn't longing to have Spike back anymore. I had him back, but for some reason, with his return, only a muddle of problems had surmounted. Nothing good was to be expected by his sudden reappearance. Now Jet would no longer see me as serious bounty hunter. He and Spike would be buddies again and I would get stuck with the kid.

            In all seriousness, I don't mind Ed. She can be very amusing at times. However, she's far too spunky for my tastes. When I need to relax, she's the one who needs to bounce around the Bebop just so she's on the same energy level as everyone else. It's kind of annoying at times, but when she left, I found myself missing her a great deal more than one would ever think. Jet caught on to that, but I didn't think he had caught onto my attraction to the lunkhead. I kept feelings for Spike far away from anyone or anything. Love had never been my strong point, more like a weakness, a place for vulnerability.

            I closed my eyes, hearing the gentle whir of the ship flying through space. Strangely enough, such a simple sound that I had grown so accustomed to brought me a great deal of comfort when I felt off.

            "Faye!" Jet yelled from down the hall. I rolled over onto my stomach, ignoring him. My door was opened only a crack. He'd think that I was asleep and hadn't heard him if he walked by. If not, then whatever he wanted wasn't that important. If he really needed someone, he could come and get me. "FAYE!!!"

            I put my pillow over my head, trying to block out his strong lungs. All those years on the police force hadn't been for nothing. Jet could yell with the best and he wasn't a half-bad shot either. All in all, he pulled his weight rather well, better than I had ever expected.

Over the past two years, when it had just been the two of us, we had learned to not piss one another off, sort of become friends. We looked after one another, but now, that was all going to change, thanks to Spike. Already, it was like the relationship we had formed was dissolving.

            My door creaked open. Slowing my breathing, I attempted to look like I was still sleeping, to fool Jet.

            "Valentine, get up. You aren't sleeping." I gritted my teeth. It wasn't Jet, but Spike. I raked my fingernails into my pillow, before slamming it down on his head. Unlike earlier, in the living room, I missed him. "The Faye I know liked staying up to all hours of the night. Don't tell me she left this ship too."

            "Don't judge me," I hissed. "You don't know anything about me anymore. Things are different now, Spike. After you left, things changed, and if you think that they are all just going to change back again because you're here, you've got another thing coming to you." With that, I pushed past him, to go see what Jet had wanted.

            I found him trimming his Bonsai plants. He was being careful, using precision with every motion. "What did you want?" I asked, making him jump slightly and cut off a hunk of one of the plants.

            "Jesus, Faye! You could have knocked! Now look what you did!" He pointed to the plant. Crossing my arms over my chest, I leaned against the doorframe, watching him. "And don't even say that it is only a plant, because it isn't."

            "What did you want?" I repeated with a sigh.

            "I want you to go clean up the Swordfish for Spike. He's had a hard journey back and it would be nice to bring in another bounty this week," he explained.

            "You want me to clean his ship!" I shrieked, thinking of how long it had been since my RedTail had been washed. "You've got to be kidding me!"

            "Do I look like I'm kidding?" he asked me," a gruff look etched across his face. "Get going."

            "Fine," I grumbled, thankful that I had kept my grease stained clothes on.

I grabbed a bucket from the kitchen, and a rag. While on my way out to the hanger, I spotted Spike, lounging in front of Big Shot and Ed squatting in front of her computer, clucking her tongue. Ein laid aside of her, his ears flickering at the sound every now and then. It was like a shot of déjà vu. The sight was so familiar, that I had to pinch myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming. Shaking my head, I went out to the hanger, closing the doors behind me, and turning on the radio.

With the music blaring, my chore didn't seem as unbearable. I took the rag, splashed it in the soapy water, and then began rubbing away at the marks on the Swordfish. Water ran down, bubbles slipping around with it, down the sleek metal of the ship. The metal wasn't the only thing getting wet though. By the time I was done the front of it, my shirt was soaked with perspiration and suds. I pulled it over my head, tossing it on the floor behind me.

In my short tank, that showed a great deal of my flat tanned stomach, I used both arms to roughly scrub away the stains from smoke and other explosion fluids that decorated the sides of the ship. I wasn't even going to try the back or around the guns. There was so much gunk there, it was impossible to scrape the gross fungus away.

After about two hours, I was done with the outside. I climbed up into the cockpit with my damp rag, ready to swipe the panels clean. There was dust everywhere, it was sad. Then I saw all the trash from food that littered the floor. I smiled, thinking of my own messy habits. I threw all the wrappers and cups down out of the ship to the floor. I'd collect it all before I went back to my room and dispose of it.

Jumping down from the ship, I threw the dirty rag into my gray water. Shuffling all the garbage into one pile, I prepared to carry it all back inside with me. I hooked the bucket on my left arm, then gathered all the rest of the trash in my hands. I managed to walk halfway to the doors when I slipped on some water I had spilled coming in. I fell backwards, landing on my backside, the bucket splashing all over me, and the trash going everywhere, most of it sticking to my soaked body.

"Damn it!"

Hair dangling in front of my face, water dripping off the tips, I pushing myself up. I surveyed the giant mess I had created with my clumsiness. How much more could go wrong in one night?

"Need some assistance?"

_Not now, not now_, I groaned. Of all the times to come in, why did it have to be now? I felt like a lion that had been shot right below the heart, just as the hyenas decided to invade his pride. Why did Spike have to come now?

"I'm fine," I snapped, picking up some of the trash.

"You don't look fine," he commented, giving me one of those stupid grins as he plucked a piece of garbage from the ground.

Still glaring at him, I scooped up the now empty bucket, and began to fill it with trash. The rag was lying by the door. I figured that I had let it fly when I had been sent sprawling on the ground. Just thinking of my latest escapade made me groan. Spike probably thought I was a first class dead beat who couldn't do anything. He had no idea how hard I had worked these last couple of years. He was only seeing how bad I could handle everything, now that he was back.

"Got it all," he announced, tossing the last piece into my bucket.

I followed him out of the hanger to the garbage disposal, grabbing the rag on my way. We walked in silence. I believe the tenseness of my muscles served to illustrate how uncomfortable I was with the fact that he had again witnessed a screw up of mine.

Suddenly, he stopped and faced me. "Go take a shower," he instructed, pulling the bucket and rag from my hands.

It was like he had been reading my mind. Even though I had already taken a bath, I felt so disgusting after cleaning and only wanted to take a hot shower before I went to bed. By now, I was sure Jet and Ed were asleep. So I wouldn't have to worry about getting yelled at for wasting more of the hot water, but why was Spike being so nice? He always had complained about my shower routines before. Why did he start now?

"Go, before you stink of the hall," he told me, giving me a light shove.

I made a face. Of course, he would do that. He'd sap me up, make everything all nice and kind, like we were pals or something, then he would shot me down, with a smart ass comment like that. I grinned at him, before throwing a punch at him. My fist only grazed his shoulder, but it was enough to make him stumble backwards.

With that done, I proceeded to the shower, then went to bed, a smile spread across my lips, as I thought of what was to come in the following days.

            **A/N:** Yay! The second chappie is finally up! Yay! I really liked writing this chapter. I don't know if it was because Spike made his dramatic (yeah right) reappearance or what, then again, I am truly in love with Spike! drools Ahem! clears her throat I'm sorry, I'll try to be more professional about this note. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I had a lot of fun writing it and I want everyone to have just as much fun reading it. Oh God, I sound like a freakin commercial. Sorry! _Nev___


	3. Jazzology

            **Chapter Three: Jazzology**

            I had had the most realistic dream. Spike had come back, acting as if it was nothing, as if he hadn't been gone for so long. Jet had taken a complete 180 and made me clean up Spike's mess of a ship, while my own was awaiting attention. Ed and Ein hadn't seen the problem with his reappearance after two years either, only me, the Shrew. It was like it had happened. It all felt so real; that I just wanted to remain dreaming.

            A weight shift on my bed told me that someone was sitting at the edge of my mattress.

            "Ed, it's too early. What did I tell you about waking me up at an hour like this?"

            "Well, considering that I'm not Ed, you never told me anything," a cocky voice replied. I pulled my head out from under my pillow to glance up at the green bushy haired cowboy. "Hey Romani," he grinned.

            Remembering the first time we had met all too well, I smiled back. "Hey Gaogjo."

            He chuckled, looking down at the sheet that covered my mattress for a second, then back up at me. I had never noticed how deep a shade of brown his eyes were until that moment. His hair was green, but it looked a bit like his eyes in the lighting. For a second, neither one of us moved, and all I wanted to do was reach out and touch his face.

            "Jet," he said suddenly, breaking the moment that had just began.

            I had just realized that my dream had been real, that Spike was finally back, that I finally had my second chance. Then, just as I was getting myself ready to tell him, he shattered that moment, just like he had shattered my hopes when he had gone off to die. Only…he hadn't died. That was the only thing I didn't get.

            "Jet wanted us all to get together. It seems he's gone a hold of a new bounty, worth a lot of woolongs," Spike continued. He pushed off the bed, and moved toward the door, but when he got there, I stopped him.

            "Why aren't you dead?"

            I saw the muscles of his back tense, as well as the muscles of his arms as he held onto the doorframe. "Sorry that I disappointed you," he muttered, then left, before I could say anything else.

            I stared at the empty doorframe, stunned. I had just insulted him so deeply, it was worse than a knife stabbing him. I'm sure that when Vicious threw him out that church window, he had only thought of Julia, how much he had wanted to die and be with her. There was no love for Faye Valentine in Spike Spiegel's destroyed heart. And I just had to accept that. Spike and me were never going to be together.

            "Damn it, Faye," I yelled at myself, slamming my fist against the wall. Tears welled up in my eyes and I had to force myself to blink them back. Why couldn't I ever do anything right? Whenever Spike was around, I became this angry, moody, woman with attitude, something that Spike loved to hate, along with kids and dogs.

            "Faye-Faye!" Enter Ed with Ein in tail, just when they were needed the most…not.

            I buried my face in my pillow, hoping to hide my weakness from a 15-year-old and a Welsh Corgi. Something that seemed simple, but with Ed, was immediately made difficult. She flopped down on my back, Ein following her. Then, the girl began to pull on my hair.

            "Faye-Faye! Wake up-up!"

            "I'm up, Edward," I grumbled, sitting up the best I could with a girl and her dog on my back.

            "Jet-sir wants to talk with us!" she announced, doing a somersault off of me. Ein leapt off only seconds later, after his owner. She tugged on my arm, yanking me to come join her and that mutt, who wasn't really a mutt, who was probably worth more than me.

            "Okay! Okay! I'm coming," I told her, finally deciding to stop worry about Spike and worry about my own problems. I still had that amazing debt to pay off, and I owed Jet so much for taking me in, helping me. Once I had worked on those things, then I had to fix up my Red Tail. Then, and only then, did I have the right to worry about something as pathetic as a love life, and men.

            Standing up, I walked out of my room, but I had a little trouble. Ed, so happy that she had succeeded in waking up the Faye-Faye, had decided to cling onto my right leg. Ein, confused about his master's actions, decided the best thing to do was run circles around me, barking. So, another five minutes later, I was able to join the men on the yellow couch.

            "'Bout time, Faye," Jet mumbled, not glancing up at me from the computer screen. Spike, was not even paying attention, but there he was, right aside of Jet, just like he had always been. He didn't look at me either. I felt that I didn't belong. All I wanted to do at that moment was fly away and never hear the words "Bebop," again.

            "I'm sorry to keep you waiting, Captain," I snapped.

            "Uh-oh, the Faye-Faye is mad-mad!" Ein cried, unlatching herself from my leg, and backing away. Ein's ears went back, and he shuddered off in the corner.

            "Ed, be quite," Jet commanded.

            "No, I think that Ed has it right for once," I interrupted him.

I spared the young girl a quick smile, which she was too busy making faces at Spike to see. She wasn't the one I was mad at. "I'm tired of this. Spike is gone for two years! Two years, in which I worked hard with you, Jet, and then we scored some bounties and got a better relationship. Now, when Spike comes back, all that changes. I go back to being the lazy ass shrew, and Spike goes back to being the best bounty hunter out there. I can't take it!" I yelled.

With that, I stormed off the ship, taking nothing with me but the clothes I was wearing and jumping into my Red Tail without another thought. Jet and Spike didn't even try to stop me. They probably though I was just going out for a spin to cool my head. When I didn't return, they might worry, but they would never come after me. I was alone now, on my own, the way it should have always been.

It wasn't until I heard a suspicious giggle from behind my seat that I realized I had acquired a pair of stowaways, that I was indeed not alone, as I had first presumed. Turning over my shoulder for a brief glance verified my assumptions. Ed had brought Ein with her and together they had gotten aboard my ship before I had left Bebop.

I had a hard enough time keeping myself out of trouble. I did not need a fifteen-year-old and a data dog following me around. Besides, in my haste to leave I had forgotten to grab any food or money for food. I was broke, running low on gas, foodless, and stuck with a crazed hacker and her pet.

"Ed, what are you doing here?" I groaned, not needing another person to accompany me.

"Edward wishes to be with the Faye-Faye," she told me, throwing her arms around me, despite the fact that my seat was in the way. She gave me a bone crushing hug, then released me, so she could do a flip over the chair and land in my lap. "So, wheres we going, Faye-Faye?"

Another groan escaped my lips. Since I hadn't planned this far ahead, hell I was just making it up as I went along, I let her decide. "Where do you want to go, Ed?" I figured a super hacker would know a good place to lay low for a while, then again, this was Ed. Who knew what she would do if I gave her too much power.

"Hmm," she put a finger on the edge of her lips. "Edward has been many places, but none very nice, besides Bebop-Bebop!" I rolled my eyes, trying to reach around her to grab the steering controls.

"We need to go somewhere to lay low for awhile, just in case Jet wants to yell at me some more," I lied. Even though I did want to go somewhere to hide, in a manner of speaking, I highly doubted Jet would ever let me back on Bebop after my little tantrum. My blood was still boiling and I'm sure Spike hadn't even taken notice, either that, or he was racking up the points on how many times he had made me flip since his return.

"Ed knows of perfect place!" she declared, ripping the controls out of my reach.

"Hey!" I screamed, as she took my craft for the ride of the millennium.

            One hour, and many trips to the bathroom later, my face was starting to turn back to it's normal pale shade, instead of bright green. Ed was laying upside down on one of two beds, toying around with her computer. I sighed, as I sat myself on the other bed.

            This hotel was nice, but somehow, Ed had hacked us into the hotel lineup for the weekend. She had managed to put down that we had already paid the bill for a three night stay. Other costs would have to be paid at the end of those three nights. I figured we would order food from room service for dinner, but after the interesting ride to the hotel, my stomach was in no mood for food. However, Edward had no trouble scarfing down a few plates of fancy dining.

            "Spike-person is asleep on the couch," she told me, turning her computer screen so that I could see his form, laid out on the yellow couch by Jet's computer. Sure enough, he was sound asleep, that lazy bum. I turned my face away, angry with him, and amazingly depressed at the same time. Didn't he even care that I was gone?

            Humming to herself, Ed went back to looking through everything of the Bebop that she could. I grew bored with lying there, so I opted to go on-line with the computer on my ship.

            "I'll be back in a little bit," I told her, before locking her in the room. I didn't want her to get into any trouble. As long as she didn't know I had confined her to that single area, all would be at peace. Giving one last glance at the door, I pivoted on my heel, and went out to find my Red Tail.

            The little lights blinked when I got in and turned it on. "Sorry baby," I said to it. "We aren't going for any more rides for a while, at least not until I find some fuel." I flipped a few switches and turned a couple dials before my screen lit up so that I was able to type in my info. Then I was back at the chat room I had been on when I had met that MeMoRyPhAsEd29. No sooner had I logged on, then a box popped up.

            [**MeMoRyPhAsEd29** has invited you to a private chat]

            I accepted and found myself in another conversation with this mysterious dude, who was starting to beat out a certain cowboy.

            **MeMoRyPhAsEd29**: Hey there.

            **HoTyElLoWsHoRtS28**: Hey yourself.

            **MeMoRyPhAsEd29**: It's been awhile.

            **HoTyElLoWsHoRtS28**: A couple of days.

            **MeMoRyPhAsEd29**: Seems longer.

            **HoTyElLoWsHoRtS28**: Does it?

            **MeMoRyPhAsEd29**: Guys just can't hold out as long as women.

            **HoTyElLoWsHoRtS28**: Spoken like a true man.

            **MeMoRyPhAsEd29**: Would you prefer a woman?

            **HoTyElLoWsHoRtS28**: No.

            **MeMoRyPhAsEd29**: Then quite complaining.

            **HoTyElLoWsHoRtS28**: I have to go, but have you ever heard of e-mailing? Just in case we can't stay in touch after this.

            **MeMoRyPhAsEd29**: Give me your address and I'll send you a message sometime.

            I typed out my address for the guy, hoping he'd send something soon. I wanted to get back to Ed before anything drastic happened to the hotel and they kicked us out. I appreciated having a warm, soft bed to sleep on at night. As soon as he had it, I logged off, and shut down my ship. Locking it up, I went back to my room.

            When I entered, I saw Ed, curled up on the bed, Ein tucked under one arm. Smiling, I went over, putting the sheets over the girl, to cover her up. Thinking that things would be better by tomorrow, I settled myself in my bed, but I couldn't sleep. I tossed and turned, and rolled over to my stomach, but nothing helped. There was something nagging at me. I couldn't put my finger on it, but I think it had something to do with one of the last things that guy had said to me.

            "Then quite complaining."

            That phrase was so familiar. I know I had heard it somewhere before. That tape of me, of a time from my past that I couldn't remember at all, might have had something to do with it, but I had put that behind me. My past had stayed buried for a long time before I discovered it. It would remain buried, since I had no way of taping into my memories from that period of my life. I didn't have the drive to find them anymore and frankly I didn't want to. So I gave up on the phrase, and forced myself to sleep.

            Third Person pov

            Back on Bebop….

            Jet glanced over his shoulder at the clock. He had been trimming his bonsai plants for over two hours now, and Faye still wasn't back. Ed had hid herself, probably taking Ein with her. The only one who was around was Spike. Shaking his head, the ex-cop lifted himself out of his chair, leaving his prized plants, to have a manly chat with the cowboy, who he found lying on the yellow couch, a cigarette hanging out of his mouth.

            "Spike?"

            "Yeah Jet?" the lanky man greeted him, taking a drag of his cigarette.

            "Is Faye back yet?" he asked, even though he already knew the answer. He had been awaiting the opening of the hanger all night, but no noise had been made, outside the normal whirring of the ship.

            "Nope," Spike replied lazily.

            Sighing, the cop took one of his own cigarettes out of his pocket, lighting it before he started another conversation he had put off for too long. "I wasn't going to say anything," he began, "but now Faye's gone and I can't continue to sit here acting like I'm not curious."

            "Shoot," Spike said, not even looking over at Jet.

            "What are you doing alive? It was confirmed that you died in that battle with Vicious."

            "Confirmed, eh?" Spike chuckled to himself. "I guess they got the wrong guy, huh?"

            "This isn't a laughing matter, Spike," Jet scolded. "Faye took it pretty hard when she received the news. I wasn't on the ship at the time. I was off researching a bounty. Without Edward, it was hard to come by reliable information, so I had to go get it…by force. Faye was here when she got the message, by herself. Do you know what it did to her?"

            "Sent her to her happy place?" he offered, waving his hand through the air.

            "No!" Jet yelled, hammering his fist down on the table in between them. "She blacked out from shock. When she came to, she thought it was all a nightmare, and I had to be the one to tell her it wasn't. Then she went out and got drunk!" he spat. "She drunk herself into a stupor. When I found her, she was only an inch from alcohol poisoning." Spike stilled, by he said nothing, so Jet went on. "That's what she did for two years. She would go out almost every night, get drunk, and come back here until she was sober enough to go out again."

            "Guess that slowed down business," Spike commented. Jet sent him a glare.

            "She worked hard, after the first several months. She went out less and less, until she was pulling her weight again. She helped get us back on track, until one night when she went out to catch a bounty and some idiot put something in her drink."

            Now Spike froze. Jet leaned forward, taking in his companion's reaction carefully. "She was able to call me, but I didn't get there in time. When I did get there, the bartender told me some guy had come in and attacked everyone else at the bar, since they were all trying to have their way with her. I brought Faye back here and cleaned her up. Do you know the first thing she said when she came to?"

            "Another shot?"

            "Spike," Jet answered softly.

            "What?"

            "Your name. She said your name. I thought she was still delusional from the drug," he told him, shaking his head with frustration, "but she was fine. She said it was you who saved her. Up until now, I thought she had seen the guy that had saved her, and he had resembled you to some extent, the drug finishing up what was left to worry about in appearance, but now, now I think you were the one who helped her that night. What do you have to say to that?"

            "I think you're a fool," Spike stood up, flicking his cigarette butt into the ashtray on the table. Without another word to Jet, he made his way to his room.

            "You were there that night," Jet said to his retreating back. "You saved her. Why? And why did you wait so long to come back to us if you were alive all this time?"

            Spike stood in the doorway, silent. "She cares about you Spike. Don't ever mock that. She's been through the ringer with your death. Now you came back and it sent her back. If you can't find a way to treat her after knowing her past, then there is no longer a place for you on this ship." Still silence. "I'm going to track her down in the morning. I have a tag on her craft so it shouldn't be too hard. I had Ed install them as soon as I found her, just in case."

            "Whatever," Spike muttered, exiting the room.

            Jet smutted the end of his cigarette in the bottom of the ashtray. Why was it that he always had to do things the hard way?

            **A/N:** Another chappie completed! This story is taking a turn from what my original idea for it was. I hope it isn't jumping around too much for you. I just had to put in a third person pov to capture what was going on while Faye & Ed were gone. Did you like that, or would you prefer only to know the happenings of Faye? Tell me! Criticism is welcome! Oh and I hope I spelled "Goajgo" right. I probably didn't. I was guessing and I can't spell for crap. _Neveada Sierriana_


	4. Stubborn Romani

            **Chapter Four: Stubborn Romani**

Third Person pov

            Jet climbed into his ship, staring at the door of the hanger. Spike had been asleep when he had opened up his door. He hadn't wanted to wake the cowboy, but now it was time to start looking for Faye and it didn't seem that the lanky man would be joining him on his search for the Romani. Shaking his head, he started up the machine. Flicking several switches, he prepared to take off. Just as he was flying out of the hanger, the Swordfish zoomed past him, and from the seat, Spike waved over his shoulder with a funny grin on his face.

            "What the hell do you think you are doing flying like that? You're going to ding up my ride!" Jet hollered into the intercom system.

            "I thought you wanted help looking for Faye?" Spike ignored Jet's question and insult.

            "Is that what you are doing?" the older man asked back.

            "Do I have any other choice?" Spike grumbled, taking off ahead of him.

            If he hadn't known any better, Jet would have sworn that Spike was worried about the girl. "Have you seen Ed?" he questioned.

            "Nope, I think she took the mutt and went with Faye."

            "So we have lost half the crew. Great." Jet mumbled, staring down at the screen of his computer, trying to locate the bug on Faye's Redtail. A beeping sounded as he realized he had gotten a hit. "Got her," he announced. "She's staying at the Caesar Hotel." Punching a couple of buttons, he turned his ship onto AutoPilot.

            About an hour later, the Swordfish II landed alongside of him in the hotel's parking lot. Both bounty hunters got out of their ships, looking around to see if anyone had noticed their entrance. Not seeing anything of suspicious nature, they headed into the hotel to find the rest of their crew.

            They hadn't needed to ask the staff at the front desk, they could hear Edward screaming and Ein barking from the lobby area. Together they walked down the hall to a large open room where an enormous pool was laid out. Ed was doing a somersault off the diving board, Ein leaping in after her. Jet laughed as he saw Faye yell at them.

            "She may deny liking the kid, but she'd be a good mother to her," he commented.

            "Or at least a better parent figure than that no good father of hers," Spike agreed.

            "Hmm," Jet closed his eyes, trying to decide how to go about this. Women were hard to control, and Faye was even harder. He was sure that Ed and Ein wouldn't be too hard to convince, but when Faye had left, she had been mad and hurt. There was no telling how to approach her. So he left that up to his partner.

            "I'll go get the kid and the dog," he told Spike, "since I know how much you hate kids and animals."

            "Did I mention I despise women with attitude, Jet?" Was Spike's catty reply.

            "Just say you're sorry," the older man snapped, waving him on.

            Sighing, Spike buried his hands in his pockets and walked over to the end of the pool, where  Faye had settled. This was going to be harder than he had thought. He wasn't sure why he had tagged along with Jet to come after the shrew. Maybe some part of his conscious was coming back to life. Either way, he was here.

            _Just treat this like a job_, he told himself. _That way, you can't become too attached._

            He continued walking in the direction of her and began to notice some things. First, Faye usually wore things that made you want to…well, she wore some interesting outfits. However, right now, she was in a very simple black one-piece suit that covered more of her body than he had ever seen clothed.

            Next, her hair framed her face in a completely different way. With the water, it clung to certain points of her face and her head, making it look shorter, yet the style seemed perfect for her. Despite her serious facial expression, he thought she looked free and pleased. He almost felt bad for having to ruin her mood.

            Faye's Pov

                The water felt so right against my skin. It was cool, but not cold enough to make me want to leave. It was just temperature that it became refreshing. I couldn't see why I had never wanted to lounge around in a pool before. Ed seemed to like it enough. She and Ein were swimming around and leaping off the diving board at the deep end.

            Wait…Ein!

            "Ed! Get that mangy mutt out of the pool!" I ordered her.

            "But Ein-doggy loves the water as much as Edward does!" she complained.

            I groaned, closing my eyes. Why did this kid have to be so in love with her dog? Why couldn't she have grown attached to a doll like a normal girl? Why did she have to be clinging with an animal? I rolled my eyes, and stroked over to the other side of the pool, hoping she would leave me alone if I ignored her.

            Needing some time to think on my situation, I started doing laps up and down the relatively empty pool. There were a couple attendants around, but other than that, it was just me and Edward. Oh, and Ein of course. Other than that, well, no one else was up yet.

            I had woken up to the sound of Edward crying over her tomato, which she had left behind. Her cries had turned into screaming when she realized how far away from her beloved computer she was. Even with a pillow pressed against both of my ears, I could hear her, so finally I had given up on the notion of sleeping for more than three hours and taken her down to the hotel pool, Ein in tow.

            I had had to buy us both bathing suits and rent out towels for ourselves, but since I wasn't going to be paying my bill when I left, I didn't really mind. I'd just add it to my tremendous debt. One day I was going to get rid of that and after that, I'd give up gambling for good. Until that time, I would still allow myself to have fun. After all, what was the point of living if you weren't enjoying yourself? 

            I wondered what Jet and Spike were doing? Jet might be worried that he had lost his hacker and data dog, but as for me, I was sure he was glad to be rid of me. Though I had decided to give up my yellow outfit and sport something more to my line of work, he still thought of me like Spike did: a slut with attitude.

            I dunked my head under the water for the next stroke of my lap, allowing my tears to mix with the chlorine. Did it have to hurt this much to finally be gone from Bebop? Without noticing it, I hit the wall. My fingers curled around the edge of the pool and I held myself there until my tears had dispersed.

            I glanced over my shoulder to see Ed was trying to teach Ein had to swim properly. I was about to yell over to her when someone tapped my shoulder blade.

            "Excuse me, miss, but dogs are not allowed in the pool. Hotel regulations."

            Had I not been just thinking about him, I might have not recognized him in the outfit he was wearing. Dressed like an attendant for the hotel, Spike was kneeling by me, smirking his all-knowing smirk. I slapped my hand across the water's surface, causing it to spray up into his face. He blinked away the droplets that were clinging to his eyelashes and glared at me.

            "Not smart, Faye."

            "You can't do a thing about it. I'm not going back with you," I told him. "Not this time."

            "Where else are you going to go?" he asked me.

            "I have a friend that will take me in," I told him, flatly lying. Of course, I could always e-mail that guy I had met on-line. It was a long shot, but he might allow me to crash for a few nights, just until I could get on my own two feet again.

            "Right. Some person is just going to let you waltz into their house and live with them for a couple months that will turn into a couple years. I don't think so," he replied, standing up, and lighting a cigarette.

            "Hey Goajo, no smoking. Can't you read the sign?" I pointed to the warning posted on the wall behind him, before pushing off on the wall to begin another round of laps.

            "You are going to come back!" he yelled, cupping his hand around his mouth so the sound of his voice carried to my ears.

I shook my head and kept on swimming. If he wanted me to come back, he was going to need to apologize. That was the only way I'd drag my ass back to the ship I had named my home for the past several years. The only way I'd do it of my own free will, anyway.

I was sure that if Spike really wanted to be a bastard, he'd find a way to force me back to Bebop. However, I would still put up a fight. The time when I had taken care of him after his fight with Vicious had led him to flying out a church window popped up in my mind. Even with nearly all the bones in his body either broken or bruised, I had still swatted him with his own pillow for making fun of the way I hummed. After all, he had deserved it.

The memory brought a smile to my lips, but I shoved it away. I was not going to start falling in love with Spike again. It was a dangerous habit to fall in love with troublesome men. They always found a way to break your heart if you stayed around long enough. One would think that I had already learned my lesson with Spike after he had been "dead" for two years, but no. I had always been hoping for him to come back. Now he was here and things had just gone from bad to worse.

Before he had left, I had thought things between us were finally going to work. Even after all the fights, bickering over mistakes on a bounty hunt, and the quarrels over our pasts, I knew he had cared. When I had received the tape from my past, before I knew of the reality of my life, he had been caring, even down right kind. Of course, he had shown me he cared in his own way. Spike only ever did things his own way, in his own good time.

But everything I thought had been shattered when he had announced he was going off to fight Vicious. What he really was saying at that point was that he was going off to die and not to expect him to return. I remember how I had cried that night, how hard I cried days after. When the news came, that was the hardest. I couldn't eat for a week. I wouldn't smoke, wouldn't talk, I didn't even shower. All I did was sleep, and stare off into the void of space, wondering how he had gone.

Of all the people I have ever come across, Spike was the toughest, the one I was most drawn to because of his strength, both physical and inner. He had gone through so many brushes of death that it seemed to me that he wouldn't die until he was old and wrinkly. When Jet had come to my room that day, that day that had seemed so gray and lifeless, that day that became etched into my memory for two straight years, that day that I had heard Spike was never going to be walking through the hanger door again, I had been shocked.

At first, I had denied it all. I hadn't said anything to Jet. I simply shut my door, and stared at it. I knew that Jet had done the same thing for several minutes, probably wondering whether or not to confront me about the emotions I was experiencing at the time, but then he had walked off, deciding it was better to leave me alone.

I had never wanted to move on. I had known an awful lot of men in my lifetime, none of whom I had experienced anything special with. There was only one person I had ever seriously considered important in my life. And he was gone, dead forever. I would never have another chance to tell him how I felt. I wondered for so long if he had even known by the way that I was weeping when he left.

I found myself crying again. Had I not pulled myself out of my thoughts, I would have never noticed the ripples in the pool water. Wiping them away, I pulled myself out, grabbing my towel from the bench, and strolled to the elevator to go to my room. I forgot about Ed and Ein, not caring. I wasn't too worried about her. She knew where to find me if she wanted to tag along with me still. Although, I'm sure she'd be better off with Jet, someone who could look after her properly.

As the elevator took me to my correct floor, I dried off, alone with nothing but that horrible music they play on your short ride. When I had cleaned away all the droplets that had spotted my skin, I wrapped the towel around me in a toga fashion, tucking the end in front of my chest. Then a bell rang and the two sliding doors parted to reveal my hallway. I went to my room, opening the door and going inside.

It was dark, just like I had left it earlier that morning. I switched on the light, as I waltzed  over to the shower. I was going to wash all the chlorine off my pale skinned body. Just as I dropped the towel from around me, I saw a figure sitting on my bed.

            "Ed let me in," he said softly, lighting another cigarette.

            Silently, I walked over, pulling the box of cigs from his pocket. I took  on out, and leaned down. He lit it for me, and I took a seat on the opposite bed, facing him.

            "What are you doing here?"

            "I came with Jet to bring you back. As much as the old man wouldn't care to admit, he's fond of you and the kid," he replied, taking a draw of his cigarette so that the tip let out a reddish hue.

            "And Ein?"

            "The dog especially, since he's worth so much."

            I grinned, glancing at the bedside table where I had left my golden bracelet. I reached over, picking it up, and sliding it over my hand to wear on my wrist. It had saved me on numerous occasions and I wasn't going to leave it here at some hotel where who knows what kind of moron would pick it up.

            I didn't know what else to say to Spike. I had already made it clear to him that I wasn't going back. He had to know that I was upset. He was a lunkhead, but that didn't mean he was completely dense. Not knowing that the girl he was with was actually screwing someone else was bad, but I doubted he was so dumb that he didn't know I wanted an apology before I'd fly my Redtail back to the Bebop.

            Feeling awkward, I got up, and went into the shower. Despite being an asshole at times, I trusted Spike. I didn't think he would try to peep at me. He had more pride than that. He wouldn't do something of that nature. Then again, maybe he would, but he would never do that to me. He knew better. When I got out of the shower, I dried off, and wrapped myself in a towel again. I came out into the room to find my clothes and noticed a change in the atmosphere.  

Spike was gone.

**A/N:** Happy day! I'm back with a nice update for the story! I have the next few chapters planned out but it will take some time before I can type them up, so please bare with me. I'm working on making a Spike/Faye site as well as one dedicated to the entire Cowboy Bebop group. I'll tell you when they are up. Wish me luck! Read and REVIEW!!! _Nev___


	5. Gypsy Rhapsody

**Chapter Five: Gypsy Rhapsody**

I went to bed then. There was really nothing left for me to do. I had wanted one thing from Spike Spiegel, and I had ended up with nothing. It seemed that was how it always was with men. I climbed under my covers, after making sure my hotel room was securely locked. I'm not stupid. I know what desperate men are like. I felt safe, even it was behind a small wooden door, that they could easily break down if need be. ****

When I woke up the next morning, the first thing I did was gather my things, and leave. I wasn't sure how long Jet could survive without me to handle the kid and I did not want to stick around to find out. So I packed up, strolling out the back exit of the hotel. My Redtail was looking more appealing than ever. I loaded everything inside, giving the hotel one last brief glance before taking off.

My screen displayed a message Jet had sent me earlier that morning about a bounty head, but I discarded it, not even reviewing the information. I wasn't going back and no amount of bargaining could make me. I had promised myself to start doing things my way. By returning to the Bebop, I wouldn't be able to grow anymore as a person. I knew what that path of life held for me. There were so many more choices out there. How could I limit myself to just one this early in the game?

I decided to venture to Saturn. They were rumored to have some really awesome casino opening soon. If I was lucky, I would catch the right day and get in.

My fuel pod was getting awfully low as I came within sight of the planet, but I wasn't worried. I had devised a plan to get me some serious money. As I broke through the outer perimeter of the planet, I spotted a city. There was a great deal of traffic, something that annoyed me, so I avoided it by heading in the other direction. Only after I had turned around did I realize the casino I wanted was in the direction I had previously been traveling.

Cursing, I headed back the way I had originally planned on going. I had to wait for a while, but eventually, I got a spot off to the side where hopefully no one would bother me. Adjusting my outfit, I applied just a tad of lipstick and brushed through my hair. I locked up my ship, heading inside. It was time to put "Buy Faye a fuel pod, plan A" into action.

I located the poker tables near the back and watched all the attendants individually for several games. Once I had found a girl around my size in the waist, I waited until her break. As she headed toward the bathroom, I followed her. When I opened the door, coming in right behind her, she turned and smiled. I smiled right back, right before I punched her out. There was just one problem with me stealing her uniform. My chest didn't fit in her top portion. Again, I cursed.

I searched the bathroom for something I could tie and gag my latest victim with. Luckily, I found a hairdryer under one of the counters. Pleased, I smiled and used the cord to bind her wrists and ankles together. Now, for the gag. Once again I looked around, but there wasn't anything, so I used her shirt. Then I shoved the skinny wench into the farthest back stall, hoping no one would discover her for awhile.

Out amongst the public again, I tried to look as professional as I could. However, fate, as it were, decided to give me a helping hand and a young man strolled past me in casino uniform. Grinning devilishly, I intercepted him near the bathroom and suggested a little playtime. Poor kid, had he only of known what was truly coming, he never would have attempted to play with me. I knocked him out as well, stealing the top section of his outfit to fit myself into. Finally having a complete outfit, I went out to one of the empty poker tables, ready to make a quick woolong.

The men seemed highly interested, but of course, prior to me dealing them all in, I had triggered the good cards with my bracelet. My first few hands went by awfully well. I gained a great deal of chips, but then, something happened. I saw the guy I had knocked out to get his shirt. Stuffing my pockets with the chips, I ducked away, heading to the bathroom where I was sure the girl would still be, as well as my normal clothes.

Quickly, I changed back, not worried about the girl. I had bigger problems than a anorexic bitch to worry about. I made a makeshift bag out of the shirt I had stolen and snaked away to turn in my chips for cash. The machine was fast, but not as fast as I wanted it to be. When I had collected the woolongs, I had accidentally out of habit ran my card through the slot, collecting the woolongs on my bounty head card. Now Ed could track me down. Hissing, I slid the card down into the foot of my boot, only to meet the head of the casino along with one very angry young man that had thought I was trying to seduce him.

"This is the woman?" he asked. The boy nodded. I smirked, taking a step back.

"I'd love to stay and chat, but I'm a very busy woman," I said, running to the front door.

Of course it was blocked, but I didn't think they expected me to fight. What was Faye Valentine if she didn't put up some sort of fight to keep the hard-earned money she had stolen?

There were five men, all built. The first one lunged at me as I tried to get past him to the middle door. I slammed my palm up the front of his face, breaking his nose. His huge paw hands wrapped around the bleeding area, which had quickly become extremely sore as his co-workers darted at me.

"Come on guys," I teased, kicking one in between the legs as I punched another on the left cheek. "I'm not even breaking a sweat." Behind the small battle I could hear gasps, the angry yell of the hotel manager, and the moans of the men I had already gotten to. "Going to have to do better than that," I told them, sliding my foot along the floor in front of the fourth guy too fast for him to anticipate. He tripped over his own feet, running into the fifth guy and giving me a gap, which I used to my advantage.

Racing out of the building, I climbed into my ship and sped off. I had more than enough for fuel now, but if I got one I would have to use my card again. Ed would track me down easily and Jet would be dragging me back to Bebop. Something I had wanted so many times before I suddenly wished more than anything not to have.

Just as I had gotten out of the city, a beep alerted me of something new on my ship. I put my craft into autopilot and opened the e-mail my screen had informed me of. It was from my "pen pal," MeMoRyPhAsEd29. Somewhat excieted, I leaned back, propping my feet up on the front panel, and read it.

HoTyElLoWsHoRtS28,

Did you ever wonder about life after death? Do you think the actions we complete each day determine what will happen to us after we die? I have not been the greatest of guys to a certain woman and now she's leaving. It isn't anything serious. I don't love her. I couldn't possibly. She is just someone who I worked with for years and out of familiarity will miss. Just wondering if you were still up for a conversation with someone such as myself.

See you, MeMoRyPhAsEd29

I grinned, and quickly typed up my reply. I had an opinion on the subject that I was sure my friend would love to hear. Either that, or he would never speak to me again.

MeMoRyPhAsEd29,

There has to be something after death. If there was nothing than what would be the point of going this far? I have no idea what makes you a good person. I've never believed in God or a higher power. I think fate determines everything. If something is suppose to happen, then it will. So I wouldn't worry about you actions and how they affect this woman. Just go about doing things your way. If you cross paths with her again, then something is meant to occur. If not then its just that. I myself enjoy my solitude for the most part. I don't know what else to tell you beyond that. I myself enjoy my solitude.

HoTyElLoWsHoRtS28

It kind of felt good to speak to someone who had no idea about anything I was going through, who didn't know I was a bounty hunter, and who had no clue about who I really was. I was almost more comfortable with telling a complete stranger about me than telling someone who actually knew me.

I could never talk to anyone on Bebop. Jet wouldn't be bothered. Ed was too young to understand. And Spike, the only one who might have been worth something didn't want anything to do with me. It made me so mad. Why did he have to go and die, only to come back and break my heart all over again? Damn him!

I spotted a bar sign. An hour or so had passed. My fuel pod was all but gone. Taking my Redtail down for a landing, I resolved that I would have to buy a new fuel pod whether I wanted to or not. I would just have to deal with Jet tracking me down with Ed later. As of right now though, I wanted a hard drink to wash away my sorrows and the failures of the day.

The bell chimed on the door as I walked into the large smoke filled room. Only a few glanced up over the rim of their glass to see me as I waltzed in. There was only one seat opened, so I took it between the two large burly men near the middle. The bartender, who had been cleaning a glass lazily, came over and took my order. A moment later, I had liquor in my hand.

Third Person Pov

"Zip-zip machine that brings woolongs from far away show me where to find the Faye-Faye!"

Ed chuckled at her latest rhyme, as she hacked around, trying to locate Faye. Jet had asked her to do it this morning after he hadn't heard a reply on the bounty from their comrade. Behind her, the captain of the Bebop was smoking on the couch, in deep thought. Spike was siting opposite of him, not looking too thrilled himself.

"I'm telling you," he began. "She wants to be left alone this time, Jet. Just let her be."

"You think you know her, Spike, but you don't, at least not anymore," the older man pointed out. "She's changed a lot since you left. I should have seen something like this happening before. I didn't know, "he shook his head as he drifted off to thinking again, leaving Spike to sigh and Ed to sing her rhyme over and over again.

There was a long silence that settled over the ship. Only Ed humming her tune and the delicate roar of the engines as the craft shifted through space could be heard. Spike got up to get a drink, while Jet continued to smoke, watching the curls of gray appear from the end of his cigarette. When the cowboy got back, he immediately returned to the position he had been seated in before, taking a sip of the liquid from in his glass.

Ein was sleeping to the side of Ed, without a care in the world. The data dog had learned from experience not to sleep behind his favored member of the crew, due to her nature, she tended to think of him as a pillow, more than an actual dog. Sleeping on the couches was forbidden and he wasn't keen on sleeping by the feet of Jet, or the larger feet of Spike, so he stationed himself here instead.

The ship was on autopilot to Saturn, where the latest bounty head was located. While they were on their way, Jet had asked Ed to look for Faye, in hopes of finding her before she got tracked down by something much worse. Spike hadn't been the least bit helpful since the last time they had seen her. After he had come out of the hotel, he had been a tad different, but after he woke up that morning, he had completely changed his mind on the topic, and refused to lift a finger.

Jet smutted the end of his cigarette into the glass tray on the table in front of him. He stood up with a deep sigh, turning toward his bonsai room. Spike didn't raise his eyes, just continued to stare at the contents of his glass, which were getting lower and lower by every minute that ticked by.

"Faye-Faye!" Ed screamed, making both men avert their eyes to the young redhead.

"Did you find her?" Jet asked, hurrying over. Spike barely glanced in her direction.

"The Faye-Faye wasn't so bright. Faye-Faye used her zip card in a casino on Saturn earlier this morning, about an hour ago," Ed informed him.

"She what!" Jet hollered, thinking Faye had taken money from them.

"Yep!" The bohemian style girl cheered loudly. "She added 500,000 woolongs to her account. That's more than either of you have together!" she giggled.

"She's on Saturn," Jet shook his head, realizing a new problem. "What if she went after the bounty on her own? She'll never get him by herself. Spike?"

"What?"

"We have to help her. She's gonna get herself hurt, maybe even killed."

"Not my problem," the cowboy stated, patting Jet on the shoulder as he walked by to his room.

"Then I'll go alone," he sighed, heading toward the hanger.

"Jet-person, can Ed come to? Ed misses the Faye-Faye."

"Well alright," he nodded. "But you're gonna have to listen to me."

"WAHOO!" Ed cried, picking up Ein and running toward Jet's ship.

"You really are a glutton for punishment, aren't you?" Spike asked, leaning over the rail by the step. Jet looked over his shoulder at the girl with the howling dog as they disappeared and groaned. "Have fun and bring me a souvenir."

Faye Pov

I had just officially downed my fifth glass. Still, there were no affects. I've always been a big drinker. After so many years, there seems to be no limit to the amount I can take down without feeling the slightest bit woozy. Most of the men who had been in the bar when I had first entered where now gone, but one burly man in the back was still sitting in his dark corner, smoking a thick cigar.

The dangerously playful side of me was getting anxious. I knew better than to tango with someone stronger than me, but a challenge was always another thing I was drawn to, like a moth to light. However, something wasn't right about this guy. Although in the bar, he had no drink in front of him and hadn't had one glass since I had come in. Now in my book, that was wrong.

Knowing I had no form of payment besides my bounty card, I realized I was in trouble. From the crowd that was in here, I was sure that a bounty hunter wouldn't be too popular, even if the bounty hunter was me. Of course, I couldn't just waltz out of the front door either, so I decided to try and get out the back way while I still wasn't too suspicious.

I strolled toward the bathroom, feeling eyes scan up and down my long legs, as well as other areas of my anatomy. The only one who didn't seem effected by my obvious grace was the guy in the corner. Again, this struck me as off. What man in a bar such as this didn't at least check out a well put together woman? I shrugged it off as I walked past him and into the ladies room.

There was one window, but I knew I'd never be able to fit through. I could barely fit my leg through, much less two at the same time. I gazed into the mirror. Maybe if I…no, that wouldn't work either. Too many questions would be asked. Still…I pulled the mirror off the wall, but when I saw what was behind it, I dropped the sheet of glass. Shards clattered all over the floor by my feet, but I was only paying attention to the ten million woolongs that sat neatly packaged in front of me.

I pulled off my red sweater, wrapping the cash inside. While I worked on securing all the money, I lifted my right ankle and hit the button on my bracelet, calling my Redtail over. Once the craft was hovering right outside the window, I tossed the money into the side storage area. I had known a mechanic on Neptune who had added it on my ship. Normal models didn't feature that, so I had less of a chance of getting robbed. I had just finished tossing the last of the loot into my ship, when I heard a gunshot fired.

It wasn't until I turned that I knew who had been shooting and who they had hit. It had been the guy from the back who held the gun and the blood seeping through the wound near my stomach was testament to who had been hit.

As I slid to the ground, one hand reaching behind me for my own gun, I flipped the bracelet on my ankle again, sending my craft back to the Bebop. Hopefully it had enough gas to get there, because suddenly I found myself missing their help, and needing someone to rescue me.

**A/N:** Uh-oh! Poor Faye! I woke up this morning, the second day of my vacation at 8:45. What an ungodly hour! Either way, I immediately started working on this chapter. I'm so glad it is now done. My fingers hurt from typing so hard. It's now 9:40, so I'll call this a good hour's work. Read and REVIEW! _Nev_


	6. Divinity of a Vixen

**A/N:** Warning! This chapter has a great deal of changes in point of view and also some angst. Don't be alarmed. It is just part of the story! You have to read the entire thing to grasp the bigger picture. There is clue in here to the outcome of the story. Brownie points to those who find it! _Neveada_

**Chapter Six: Divinity of a Vixen**

**Third Person Pov (Spike)**

Spike was in his room when he heard the hanger open. Jet can't be back already. He rose from his bed, where he had been lying; wondering what to do since no one else was around. Usually about this time, Ed would be singing some weird song she had just made up. Jet would be in his bonsai room working on those godforsaken plants and Faye…As much as he hated to admit it, he was worried about her.

He had promised himself that when he returned, he would be nicer to her. Jet was wrong. He did know what he had done to her the day he had left. A person would have to be blind not to have seen the tears in her eyes. When he had been fighting Vicious, he had thought of her. He knew he should have been thinking of Julia, but in all reality, Faye had been on his mind. And now she was gone. I really know how to pick them, he thought with a chuckle. But the laugh died in his throat when he saw the ship, which had landed in the hanger.

An empty Redtail was positioned in its regular spot. Where was Faye? Spike knew her well enough to understand she loved her ship about as much as he loved his Swordfish. It was an attachment of her being just like that damned gold bracelet she wore around her ankle or wrist. The bracelet! It held a control panel to the ship!

Spike raced over to the side of the Redtail, opening up the hatch and looking in. He swung his legs over inside, sitting himself in the main seat. It was cold, not warm as it would have been if Faye had been seated in it recently. That made him nervous. He turned on the computer and located her by the signal emitted from her bracelet. She was on Saturn, where the bounty was.

"Shit," he hissed, pulling the hatch down. That was when he noticed the ship had no more fuel left. Again he cursed, but dove out of the craft to get into the Swordfish II.

"Hold on," he said as he turned on the ship and speeded out of the hanger. "I'm coming." As far as he was concerned, this was fate.

**First person pov (Faye)**

Dark swirls and dots were dancing before my eyes, as Mr. Bounty grabbed me roughly by the arm, dragging me out of the glass covered bathroom. As we rounded out of the room, I noticed that most of the shards were also red from blood, my blood. I blinked, trying to clear my vision, but seeing how bad off I was didn't help my present predicament.

The bell from the door chimed. I glanced up through blurry eyes to see the familiar form of an ex-cop. "Jet," the word barely escaped my lips before the blunt end of the gun hit my head. I dropped to the floor, meeting the cold surface quickly. The word "ow" came to mind, but I was still conscious, surprisingly. I lifted my head up enough to see what was going on, but not enough to be noticed by Mr. Bounty.

Jet was holding him at gunpoint, ready to blast him if need be, but he hadn't counted on me being caught in the middle. Now he threat was more of a bluff, because Mr. Bounty was holding the edge of his gun near my temple, close enough to blow me away if he thought Jet was going to pull the trigger. As if things couldn't get worse, at that moment, Ed leapt into the room, holding a water pistol in her left hand and tucking Ein under her right arm.

"Where did you take my Faye-Faye?" she yelled in her good-natured voice. Mr. Bounty did a double take on her, the skinny bohemian girl with the deep tan and outrageous red hair. Then he let out a laugh, a deep hardy laugh.

"Faye Valentine," he chuckled, back down deep in his throat. Jet's eyes wavered to me, motioning for me to move forward while I still had a chance. I ducked under a table that was off to the left, crawling closer to Ed. "Then I owe you," he finished laughing, his eyes slitting down to complete his menacing grin.

I ducked, clutching my head, and rolling to the side the best I could. Several fires were shot off, mostly from Mr. Bounty and Jet, but then I realized I was holding my gun as well. However, my aim had not been successful in the least. The best I had done was to break a couple glasses on the bar counter. Cursing, I reloaded my gun, just in time to aim it at Jet's chest.

"It's okay now," he told me in that fatherly tone of his. He jerked his thumb over his shoulder. "He's out cold. Ed got him with a frying pan." I peered over his shoulder to see Ed circling the bounty with a large skillet in hand. Ein was barking, running around at her feet.

"Let's get you out of here," he said, pulling me up. It wasn't until I stood that I noticed how shaky I was. My hands were trembling so badly; it was a wonder I had hit the counter at all. I was surprised I hadn't shot myself in the leg.

"Come on," he urged, trying to pick me up, but I suddenly felt all the after affects from my earlier actions. My blood loss was too much. I was shaky from the experience, but also because I had lost so much of my life source that I was beginning to loss consciousness. "Faye?" I pitched forward, slipping against the gravel of broken glass and chipped wood from the gunfight. Jet caught me and with a careful heaved lifted me up into his arms. "We'll get you home," he promised, taking me out to his ship.

I could vaguely see the craft as we got closer. He opened it, setting me down in the back, on the floor. He pulled out some blankets that were under his seat and laid them down on the floor in a futon style. I attempted to roll onto them, but the slightest motion made my wound act up. Hissing in pain, I allowed him to help me onto the makeshift bed. I hadn't been able yet to tell him about the money I had stolen. I opened my mouth to shower him with the good news, but he had already gone to grab Ed, Ein, and Mr. Bounty Head.

Closing my eyes, I decided to go to sleep. By the time I woke up, I'd be back on the Bebop. Although I had run away for a purpose and said I was never going back, I felt much better, even with the gunshot wound, and wanted to go back where people knew me and I knew them. I was quite fond of Ed, more than most people would understand and Jet was like the father I had never had. As for Spike, if he was going to be difficult, I would just be difficult right back.

Someone was climbing up the ship. I blinked, opening my eyes slowly, ready to Ed's form or Jet's but instead, I saw Mr. Bounty. At first I wasn't alarmed. He was the bounty head after all. But when I saw the glint in his eyes and the gun in his hand, I knew something was terribly wrong.

He shut the ship, turning the engines on with a roar. I tried to speak, but the words wouldn't come. I was not about to be abducted by this scumbag. He didn't seem to know that fact, because he took off, leaving Jet, Ed, and Ein stranded, and taking me captive. Where was Spike Spiegel when you needed him?

**Third Person Pov (Spike)**

Spike had just arrived at Saturn when a message on his screen popped up.

"Hey, Spike, where are you? I called the ship and you weren't there?"

"Hello to you do," he laughed, at Jet's boiling red face of anger. He didn't know why the old man got so fired up over something so ridiculous as not knowing where to call him. He'd obviously be in one of two places.

"I need your help. Some bastard did a turn around on us. He hijacked my ship and took Faye with him. She's got a gunshot wound in her lower right stomach area and she's lost a lot of blood. I don't know what he wants with her, but it can't be good."

"What direction did they go in?" Spike asked, leaning forward to the screen, now understanding the urgency in Jet's voice. He could feel his own urgency, as his knuckles became ghost while on the steering column.

"Ed put a tracker on all the ships. Just track down mine and you'll find him," Jet informed his partner. "And Spike?"

"Yeah?"

"Be careful."

"Yes, sir," he saluted. Then the message was gone and he was off to take care of Ms. Valentine. Thankfully, the tracker showed they weren't far away. He was just hoping she was still alive.

**First Person Pov (Faye)**

I must have been unconscious at some point, because when I woke up, the ship was starting to land. Mr. Bounty Head was at head of the ship, hands on the controls and poor helpless Faye; I was lying behind him on the futon. The stale scent of blood was in the air, drifting around me. I nearly gagged as the craft bumped to a stop.

"All down hill from here I'm afraid," Mr. Bounty chuckled, opening the hatch to climb out.

"What no peanuts?" I joked, as he came towards me.

"This isn't first class, Ms. Valentine," he chuckled again.

That was the second time he had said my name. How did he know who I was? And he had said earlier that he owed me something. What was that all about? I tried to wriggle away, but all I ended up doing was creating more amusement for him and more pain for myself.

He managed to grab hold of me, tossing me over his shoulder. "How do you know me?" I snapped, trying not to lose my nerve, though the pain was making it difficult to keep my usual cool

"You know what you did changed my life forever. Getting money isn't the same anymore without my other half," he rambled off. I rolled my eyes. Someone call the "Angst Police." This guy needs some serious help. "When you put him away, things were never the same again. He died in that prison, like a caged animal at one of those zoos. He deserved better than that. But you didn't give him a chance, did you? You just put him away like any other person."

"What?" I rasped, trying to make sense of all that he was saying.

"My brother," he growled, "You killed him." He kicked open the side entrance of an old apartment building. "And now you'll pay for it with your own blood."

He carried me away from Jet's ship, into the building. The steps were old and rickety and we wobbled up. There were probably six or seven floors, but we only went up to the second. He kicked down a ratty looking door to reveal a blank as white paper apartment. There was nothing inside, not one piece of furniture or even a rug.

"Nice digs," I offered, as he sat me down. I was rewarded by a quick kick to the side. This time I let out a cry of pain. I couldn't help it. I felt like he had just tried to slice me open. Tears rippled free my the pools of my eyes.

"That's right," he jeered sadistically. "You'll cry, you'll scream, you'll beg, and then you'll die. I'll make sure of it, Ms. Valentine. You'll never leave this place alive." I believed what he had said.

For the first time since he had touched me, I was truly afraid.

**Third Person Pov (Jet)**

They couldn't stay at the bar. It was too suspicious, so Jet hailed a taxi. The three of them piled inside and he directed the driver according to the map he had on his hand held device that he was using to track Spike and Faye. Any minute now, Spike would arrive where the bounty had stopped his ship. Not long after, Jet would be there as a backup. He just hoped they weren't going to be too late.

Ed was looking ferocious. She kept making angry faces and growling so hard that she spat on Ein, who was sitting aside of her. "He took the Faye-Faye! He took OUR Faye-Faye!" she kept repeating over and over again, making the driver glance back at the young girl who was so frustrated over the loss of her mentor. Jet had never seen the girl so upset before. She was literally pulling her hair out over the loss of the honky tonk woman.

"Turn left here," he directed the driver and that's when he saw the Swordfish II land aside of his own ship in an alley. "Stop!" he hollered.

**First Person Pov (Faye)**

After the fourth kick, the pain wasn't so bad. It was dulling. I couldn't even feel the floor beneath me anymore. All I could see were dancing black spots. My mouth tasted of coppery blood. I could hear my own screams echoing around the empty room, slowly driving me mad. I would rather die here than go on, because if I went on, I would always remember how weak and vulnerable I had been here. Then I heard a new sound, the crackling fire of a gun going off.

Mr. Bounty turned, stumbling a bit. The bullet had gone directly through his leg. The bloody bullet lying next to my face was testament to that. I found myself smiling a bit, as Spike entered the dimly lit room, his gun in hand. He spoke, but I couldn't understand what he was saying. Everything was too badly damaged. All I could do was watch what happened around me.

Spike made the first move. He lunged at Mr. Bounty Head, which was very unlike him. His methods led the opponent to make the first move. But, like usual, he had the advantage. When Mr. Bounty Head ducked away, Spike sidestepped into the same pattern. His eyes were darker than I remembered and I suddenly realized that he was angry, perhaps even worried. _Worried about me? Oh please, Faye stop kidding yourself._ Yet, I still believed he was. Even Spike isn't heartless enough to look away when a girl is lying bleeding and broken on the floor.

Mr. Bounty swung a punch at Spike, who just squatted down as the fist swung over his head. He kicked his foot out, knocking Mr. Bounty in the ankle and causing him to fall to the floor, holding his wounded leg, that was still bleeding. No sooner had he fallen, he was back on his feet, fire in his eyes.

The two danced around each other, Spike on the defense 100% while his enemy was always trying to throw punches, or shoot at him. It was as if the battle had been choreographed, the way the two moved as if in sync with the opposite one's motions. Everything was beginning to get a bit dragged out when Jet and Ed bounded up the stairs followed closely by Ein.

What was Jet thinking bringing the kid and the dog along? Ed was too young to be here. She could get hurt and if Ein took a bullet, she would never be the same. I started crawling toward the door, hoping to reach one of them before my motions were taken notice of. Jet intercepted me at the doorway, crouching down by my side.

"Hey, let's get you out of here," he said, starting to lift me up.

I grabbed hold of his arm, stopping him. "Get Ed and Ein out of here. I don't…" my voice slipped as I saw Spike take a blow to the face. Jet saw it to, and was immediately stalking toward Mr. Bounty Head. Spike lie on the floor, staring up at the man who was pointing a barrel at his forehead, but smiled just as Jet brought both fists down on the back of his neck.

The guys were handling things over there. I had to get the kid and dog away before anything happened to them. I finished crawling into the hallway. Ed came over to my side quickly, kneeling over me. She gingerly touched the area of my skin that was stained red with blood, right aside of my wound. I winced at the pain, and pushed her hand away.

"Did the bad man hurt the Faye-Faye?" she asked, looking almost serious. Ein sat by her side, staring at me with his black beady eyes.

"Yes, but I'm fine," I told her. "Ed I want you to get out of-,"

"Ah, so you did get out of there," a familiar voice came from behind me. Just as I was about to move to protect Ed, a huge fist slammed into my gut, knocking me away from the redhead. I rolled down the hall, coughing. When I glanced down at the floor in front of me, I saw, to no surprise, that there was more blood.

"Don't you hurt the Faye-Faye!" Ed shouted, leaping like a monkey onto the bounty's back. He snarled, throwing her off, into the nearest wall.

"Stop," I yelled with what strength I could muster. "Leave her alone!"

Mr. Bounty Head grinned, coming over to me. "Are you going to make me, little mouse?" he asked, before turning back around on Ed. Ein growled, and latched onto his ankle, tearing at the flesh that was already bleeding from Spike's earlier gunshot wound. Mr. Bounty let out a howl and kicked Ein free of his leg. "That's it. You die too," he grumbled, aiming his gun at Ein. Ed got up, racing across to grab Ein. Mr. Bounty Head only laughed. "And you can go with him," he added.

My heart was racing in my chest. It labored to keep me alive as well as racing with anticipation at what was about to happen. I struggled to my feet. What had happened to Jet and Spike. Where they dead already? Had he killed them too? A tear ran down my cheek but I hastily brushed it aside. Using the steel railing to my left, I stood up, and shakily walked toward him.

"Leave them alone," I ordered. He seemed not to hear me, as he was still pointing the gun at them. "I said 'Leave them alone,'" I barked, shoving him down to the floor as the gun exploded. The bullet went up into the roof and Ed and Ein ran down the steps to safety.

Still on top of Mr. Bounty, I pulled back my fist and let him have it. "Get out of here," I snapped at Ed, who was watching me with fascination. "Go back to the ship and lock yourselves inside!" Again I punched him, happy to hear the retreating steps of child and dog. His nose was bleeding now, from a tear in the skin I had caused. I backed off slowly, ready to go for my gun if need be. That's when I recalled that I hadn't had it since I had been on Jet's ship.

WHAM! I hit the floor as he caught me off guard. "You've caused me enough trouble," he hissed. "Now you're done." He raised the gun and I welcomed the serenity death would bring me as the shot was fired, but the bullet never struck me. Mr. Bounty laid down on the floor, his grip on me loosening. There was blood running down his face over his wide-opened eyes. A bullet was lodged in the middle of his forehead.

And there stood Spike, right above me, willing to give me a hand up.

I reached up my arm, but just as my fingers brushed over his another gunshot sounded and a low chuckle that I had grown to hate. I gasped, closing my eyes. My side! There was so much pain!

"I told you that you wouldn't leave here alive and I always keep my word," a nearly dead voice said with a final breath, then Mr. Bounty was officially dead, but it seemed that he was going to be taking me with him.

"Goodbye Spike," I told him, smiling my award-winning smile.

"Faye!" he yelled, falling to his knees aside of me. I closed my eyes just as he said something else. I knew it was important, something I had to hear before I went, but I was already too far gone to make it out.

_Goodbye Cowboy_…

**Third Person pov (Spike)**

Spike wandered into the hospital room, his eyes never leaving the white bed that was so still. Faye was lying there, only several feet away from him, but he still couldn't bring himself to look upon her face. It was his fault she was here. He had been stubborn and had refused to help look for her. If he hadn't, would she still be lying there, only an inch from death? The doctors had said the surgery had gone well enough. Both bullets had cleanly been taken out, but did that really matter if she died?

He slumped down into a chair, looking around the dark room. It was almost midnight and there was no lights on inside the room. They hadn't collected any money for the bounty because he was dead, but right now the money didn't concern him, he was more worried about the girl whose labored breathing was covered by a plastic mask aided by an oxygen tank.

Faye had been in the hospital nearly a whole day already. There still hadn't been any good news. A nurse walked by the door, tacking a paper to the doctor's notes in the shelf outside her room. Curious, Spike rose from his seat, waiting until she disappeared down the hall to read what their recent diagnoses was. As his eyes skimmed over the sloppy scrawl, he felt someone behind him.

"How is she doing?" Jet asked, concerned. Spike stared blandly at him, as if he was looking at the man who had shot her. Jet sighed, running a hand across his balding head. "Ed fell asleep in the front seat of the Swordfish. Ein is curled up by her feet. I told her Faye would be all right. I'm going to go back to the Bebop awhile and bring it here. Do you want to come with me?"

"No," he shook his head. "I'm going to stay here." _With her_, he added mentally.

"I'll take your ship back too." Jet patted him on the shoulder, not needing to say anything else. He walked away and Spike returned inside the dark room. This time, though, he pulled the chair right over to he bedside.

His eyes, really two different colors, stared at her face. She was awfully pale, much more so than normal. He realized the amount of blood she had lost had been great. That was the main reason she had nearly died. The surgery had gone fine because the entry wound was basically clear-cut, but the amount of fluids that had gushed out was high.

The paper outside her room stated that she wouldn't last the night. Spike swore he would be by her side when it happened. He hadn't been able to do anything for Julia, but he refused to let Faye die alone.

Ever so slowly, he pulled his gun out from his pocket, bringing it up in front of his face to load it. He closed his eyes taking a deep breath. Faye would be gone soon. He had already skipped death several times. It would all be over now. He raised the gun to his temple and put his finger on the trigger.

"Goodbye Faye," he whispered.

**A/N:** THIS IS NOT THE END!!!! There is a great deal of angst in this chapter, I realize, but I promise things will get better after this. But what a good cliffy, eh?

Presently I'm sitting on one of the two twin beds in my room and Krikoris is still editing "Crimson Assassin." It is raining hard so we aren't going to the beach, which is fine with me. I have acquired sun burn on my butt, boobs, and back. All of which hurt rather badly. Always use sunblock, children. There is a Tropical Storm watch for Alex going on. Hope we don't get chased by a hurricane. _Nev___


	7. Our Raining Symphony

**Chapter Seven: Our Raining Symphony**

**First Pov (Faye)**

_Goodbye?_ I opened my eyes, confused by the word. Immediately, my leg kicked out, knocking the gun away from Spike's temple. A gun blast sounded through the air, then silence. The only sound I could hear was the beating of my own heart as it thundered against my rib cage. _What was going on?_ Then…

"What the **HELL** do you think you were doing?!" Spike yelled at me, glancing up at the hole in the ceiling, made by my efforts to keep him alive.

"What do mean what was I thinking? What the hell is wrong with you! Are you planning to commit suicide or kill me?" I shouted back, my face boiling red.

"You are suppose to be dead!" he snapped, paler than I remembered. "I didn't…you are…whatever." He slunk back in his seat, lighting a cigarette.

I could feel the pain in my leg shooting up from my earlier attempts. I was in the hospital for a reason. Straining myself now wasn't likely the best way to become cured. Still, the way I had been woken up wasn't the normal behavior of the guy who normally referred to me as "the shrew" either. What was wrong with Spike anyway? There were several small beads of sweat lining his brow, making him appear as though nervous. I had never seen him upset over anything, unless it was Julia. He was always so passive. So what could cause him to turn into a wreck now?

"Where's Jet?" I asked, lazily, gazing over to the window on my other side.

Outside, rain was falling in a steady rhythm. I smiled, despite the pain I had. Rain, for some reason, had always comforted me. Perhaps it was because rain doesn't have a past or a future. It just exists to fall from the sky. It has one bright moment of life, then nothing. I figure that's how my life will be when I look back on it. My past is so fuzzy, it barely is there. As for my future…those seeking a life as a bounty hunter don't usually live very long. I'll be lucky if I see my next birthday…whenever that is.

"Ed fell asleep waiting. He took her and the dog back to the Bebop," he replied, as the smell of smoke drifted under his nose. I could see his reflection in the glass, as well as my own. "He took our ships back with him. He should be back in another hour or so."

I nodded. There wasn't anything to say.

Time passed in and out. I must have dozed just as often. When I woke again, Spike was staring out the window. It was still raining. I sat up and watched him. Softly, so softly that I barely heard him, he started to tell me something.

"You know what the rain is, Faye? It's all the tears you force yourself never to cry, even when life has beaten down on you to the end of your rope. When everything in your life has gone wrong, you think you've got it all figured out, then something worse happens; that's always the day it rains. That's how it has always been and that's how it will always be."

I knew what he meant. He was thinking about her again. Julia. I could tell that she was dead, had been able to tell since the moment he had walked back onto the ship alone. It had been in his eyes, those two eyes that weren't exactly the same color. Still, his story wasn't told. I had no idea why he was standing here by my side, why he wasn't dead. It was all a mystery. Spike was a mystery.

"Why are you here, Spike?" I asked, looking out into the storm. "Why aren't you dead?"

"It wasn't my time to go," he shrugged, though the motion barely existed. "I don't know why I stayed here. I should have gone, but-," he trailed off. His eyes, never the exact shade, took on the appearance of recalling a memory from the distant past.

"They tracked us down. They blew-up her car and came in. Some were smart and got positions around us, to trap us in. When we reached the roof, I realized we were stuck. I yelled at her to get down so I could shoot on of them. Just before I could warn her again, she was hit…right in the back." His voice shook slightly, but he cleared his throat. "I don't remember killing him, but I must have or else he would have killed me. Then she was in my arms." His voice got soft, then slowly faded off.

I swallowed. A large, uncomfortable lump had formed in my throat. Now it wouldn't go away.

"Remember when you told me that I was leaving to die?" he asked, rolling his cigarette between his fingers. I nodded, recalling how I had acted. "You may have been right," he grinned. I glanced up at him, not understanding the meaning behind the words.

"I went back. Vicious was there. He slashed me and I shot him. He fell and I held out until the sun rose. By that time, the cavalry had arrived." Spike shook his head, smirking to himself. "Bang," he said, pointing an index finger at the wall across from me. He sighed, taking a drag of his cigarette. "He is the only one who can kill me and I was the only person who could show him death."

How did you deal with something like that? To have the love of your life shot to death right before your eyes would break any man, even the almightily Spike Spiegel. Though he seemed to have taken it quite well, almost too well. Of course, all the times he had gone off to stand somewhere and think…that, perhaps, was his way of dealing with it. Still…

"Do you know what she said to me?"

I stared at him, but didn't say a word. Julia had been everything he had protected for all those years. I had never believed him. I had always hated her. Before I had known the real story, I thought I had everything figured out. But after meeting her, after seeing how she affected him, all my theories had gone out the door. I had been utterly wrong.

"This is a dream." He took another drag, nodding. "It is just a bad dream that we can't wake up from."

"Do you miss her?" I asked, trying to be nonchalant about it, as I continued to survey the weather.

"Romance isn't all it's cracked up to be," he shrugged, dropping his hands into his pockets. "In the end, it wouldn't have worked. She was a person sent to kill me by my best friend and even in her last breath of life; I still doubted the sincerity in her voice. Love can't exist in such a shadow." His cigarette died and he stomped it out with his foot.

"You didn't answer the question," I pointed out.

He glanced over at me and I turned to meet his eyes. They told me all I needed to know. The defeated glaze that covered them sickened me. This was the side of Spike I had never see…had never wanted to see. I had always pictured him as the leader, the one who would hold us together, but now, seeing him like this made everything change.

It is unfair to believe that someone is incapable of being hurt. Even a person as strong as Spike deserved the ability to crash every now and then. It was only humane. Anything else would have killed him quicker than all he had had to endure.

"Goodnight," he stood, walking away.

At least it wasn't a goodbye. I was making progress, no matter how small.

_I could hear the hanger door. I opened my eyes and rose from the couch, where I had been sleeping. Spike walked in, blood everywhere. His hair was tussled and his face was awfully pale. I moved forward, about to ask him what had happened, when he collapsed at my feet. _

_ I screamed for Jet. How could this be happening? Frantically, I shook him, saying his name over and over again. Then he moved. Slowly, he put his hands on my face, staring into my eyes. "I…I love you…," he smiled, caressing my cheek with his thumb. "Julia." Then his eyes rolled back in his head. _

_ He was gone, like my heart. _

**Third Person Pov (Faye)**

Faye jolted awake in her hospital bed, rewarded for her motions by a harsh prickling sensation all over, but mainly on her side. That's when she remembered it all. Mr. Bounty Head. The bullet she had taken to protect the ones she had grown to love. Spike's confession. Everything suddenly became quite clear.

A bit groggy, she blinked several times before a yawn escaped her lips. The rain had stopped sometime during the night. The curtains could not conceal the bright sunlight. Beeps from her heart monitor and a new IV alerted her that a nurse had paid a visit to her room earlier. She noticed a button on the side panel of her bed. Pressing it in, she heard a muffled bell chime in the corridor outside the room.

Moments later, a nurse, dressed in her uniform smock, entered, whinging about dogs being allowed in the hospital. At the same time, a skinny Bohemian girl with wild red-hair came racing in. Ein trailed close behind, his tongue dangling out of his mouth, along with a line of drool. Then Jet strolled in, eyeing her carefully. The nurse took in the strange collection of visitors and grumbled in agitation, shaking her head as she took Faye's blood pressure.

"How do you feel?" he asked, watching the nurse's actions.

"As well as anyone else who took a bullet," she answered, smiling over at Ed, who was speaking to Ein about the rules of the hospital. "I'm glad the kid's alright."

Jet followed her eyes. "You were never one to take a liking to her," he commented, returning his attention to the Romani.

"Things change," she explained.

Jet nodded, "Yeah."

The nurse finished and left, so the ex-cop looked around the room. Coming closer, he spoke in a hushed tone. "Spike told me about Julia last night. He said he told you first." There was a moment of no conversation as Ed and Ein got snapped at by the nurse for bouncing on the empty bed aside of Faye. Ms. Valentine smiled once more. "What did you think?"

"I think Spike loved her," she replied, seriously.

Jet agreed, "Me too."

"So, where is he?"

"He went to the Syndicate."

**A/N:** I know that this was entirely too short, but if anyone has been reading my profile, which you should if you are concerned about the length of my chapters or how long it takes me to update, you know that I have very precious little time to write. Hopefully, I'll be able to work on "Pure Heart" (Inuyasha fic: Kagome/Sesshomaru, Miroku/Sango) soon and get another chapter out for "Reality Behind the Movie" (Labyrinth fic: Sarah/Jareth). Until then, please check my profile for updates of what is going on. _ Neveada_


	8. Back to Measure One

"_Luck is always to blame."_ Jean de La Fontaine

**Chapter Eight: Back to the First Measure**

I don't know what made me go back. Perhaps it was the dying words of an old friend. He had wanted me to be the new leader. Though this cult had cost me a woman I had loved and more, I was drawn to it, probably because it was dangerous, and all I had ever known. I knew that Faye wouldn't appreciate what I was about to do, but I had to do it, no matter what she thought.

The building looked the same as it always had. They had already fixed up the mess I had made. I flet my lips pull into a smirk over the edge of my cigarette. Placing my hands in my pockets, I strolled up the steps, heading right inside. The doors opened as I walked through. When I got into the lobby, I was met by the astonished faces of other Syndicate members.

"Hey hunny, I'm home."

Not one of them laughed. I don't think any of them breathed. They all just stared, like I was a ghost, back from the grave.

I stood there, as motionless as the slaves in front of me. No one had tried to shoot me yet. That was always a plus. However, this ongoing silence was unnerving. These men were like mindless ghouls. Since they weren't my time, I shrugged and went upstairs to the room where I should have died but instead had been reborn.

The elevator was slow, almost agonizingly so. Each time the bell rang for another floor reached, I could feel the memories of that day hit me. I saw Julia getting shot, saw her body fall, and heard her dying words. I remembered scaring Jet awake, making him prepare me my final me. Then I recalled Faye and her reaction to everything I was trying to do. She hadn't liked it, but she hadn't stopped me either. She had known, but she had let me go.

Now she was lying in a hospital, almost dead. Would this place cost me her to? Or would it take the rest of the Bebop crew from me? They were all I knew from after this damned place, the only safe haven I held. Was I ready to give up something like that?

The elevator stopped and I got off, knowing all too well where I was meant to be.

**(: Interuption in Communication:)**

Ed would like to announce that Nev-Nev has finally seen the last episode of Cowboy Bebop (that's Edward's favorite show too!) and she would like to thank her boyfriend...aka Spike-person for letting her watch the episodes out of order so she could get back to working on this fic. (Am I done now?)

Yay! Let's go Ein!

**Back to The Story...**

Faye stared at Jet, not really understanding what he had said. Spike. Go back. Syndicate. What was that lunkhead thinking? What was Jet thinking letting him go? They were going to lose him all over again and just when she and him...

She shook her head.

No, there was nothing between them. There never had been. That moment when had decided to leave, to go back to the Syndicate, those words he had spoken to her had not meant that he shared her feelings for him. Those words had been his way of protecting her, sheilding her from the blow his absence was going to cause on the ship. That's all that had ever existed between them. Not attraction, and certainly not love.

Sighing, she flipped on the television. Big Shot would be on soon, she could catch up on her work, burying herself under the things she had to do, instead of thinking of the same things her mind had been going over since Jet's words had hit her. The old man, saw the distance in her face, and left her to her own thoughts. He had things to do back at the ship anyway, and it wasn't wise to leave Ed there by herself. Who knew what that mokey would get herself into.

Faye didn't hear him leave, but as Big Shot's Opening Theme played and the two hosts appeared, she checked to make sure he had gone. Then, she turned off the tv and gazed out the window. Last night's rain had created puddles on the sill outside. The ground below was littered with minature lakes that swept across the sidewalks. These were evidence of the weather from hours before, but what she was looking for was evidence that she and Spike had shared something worth more than normal words.

He had given her no token, no physical proof that he held any affection for her at all. Still, she wanted to believe that she wasn't involved in a one-sided love. She needed to believe that a small part of him did long for her the way she had come to realize that she longed for him.

But there was proof. Jet had told her that Spike had shared his information with her before anyone else. If he didn't feel something for her, then why hadn't he told Jet what had occured when he had met up with Vicious? Why had he waited until now and finally answer her question?

_Maybe because I almost died,_ she thought wearily.

If that was the case, she was back at the first measure of this symphony. Spike was only trying to soften her, make things easier on her, as he had always done. That wasn't exactly the way of attraction. It was nice and polite, but it wasn't really love. One could be nice to another without feeling for them in a way that meant they would fall in love. Just because Ed had given her a tomato didn't mean that she loved Faye. Then again, Ed wasn't the best of examples. The door creaked open, and she turned to see a man dressed in a suit.

"Ms. Valentine?"

Her eyes looked over him, as though she was deciding whether or not to give him her true name. "Yes?"

"I am very sorry that we have to meet under conditions such as these, but I was hoping you could give me the help I require. You see I am looking for someone. I believe you know him. His name is Mr. Spike Spiegel. Would I be correct in that assumption?"

Faye looked at the floor, wondering what she should do. If this man was from the Syndicate, then he knew more than what he was letting on, which meant that if she lied to him, she could be putting herself in danger's path. However, if this was just some regular cop, he probably had next to nothing. She was just glad that Jet wasn't here.

"Well, Ms. Valentine?"

She stared him right in the eye. "No."

**(: Interuption in Communication:)**

News you can use! Edward's advice for life.

Numero Uno: When getting shot at, eat a beaver!

Numero Dulce: Do not retrace your past, you'll find a horrible space alien!

And Thirdly: Spike-person and Faye-Faye should get married and have a tomato!

Faye and Spike enter ED!

Ooops! giggles Have to go! disappears

This has been news you can use curtosy from Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Tivrusky the Fourth. (bark bark) And don't forget Ein!

**Back to The Story...**

Spike stood in the middle of the room, slowly going through the same motions he had when Vicious had still been alive. No one had been in here when he had reached the door. Now, several had gathered by the doorway. He didn't stop what he was doing, despite the fact that he now had an audience. Instead, he continued, until he got to the point where he had collapsed upon the stairway in front of the recruits.

For several moments, he layed there, trying to recall everything that had gone through his mind when he had figured out he was dying. None of it came back to him. He knew he had remembered Julia and Faye in his last moments, but not one of those memories were concrete in his brain.

_I loved Julia,_ he told himself, _but what I feel for Faye..._

"Sir!"

The cowboy stood up, seeing the man who had spoken. Flicking his cigarette upon the floor, he snuffed it out with the tip of his boot. It left a singe mark on the red carpeted floor, but Spike only shrugged.

"Hey! You're destroying private property!" the same soldier yelled once more.

"I don't recall anyone shooting you to death," Spike replied cattily.

The solider looked behind him at the others, needing reassurance, but they were ally eyeing their new target with caution. Not one of them appeared any more familiar with him than another. It would make his job easier. Pulling out his gun, he loaded a new round. "Who's the first?"

**Meanwhile...**

"I am going to ask you one last time, Ms. Valentine, do you know Spike Spiegel?"

This joker couldn't take a hint. I know cops usually aren't the smartest dudes on the ride, but usually they can keep their beat. This one seemed to have lost his rhythm quite some time ago. Leveling my eyes, I growled, "No."

He shook his head, placing his hands into he pockets of his coat. "You're protecting him," he stated, closing his eyes as he chuckled softly. "You're going to protect him just the way she did. Why not stop now, while you're still alive?" he asked me. "Don't wait until a bullet is lodged in your spine."

I gasped. He knew. Whoever this bastard was, he knew Spike and he knew all about Julia. "Who are you?"

"Answer my question, Ms. Valentine, so I won't have to kill you." He grinned, flashing me a smile of pearl white teeth. Then, slowly, he pulled a gun out from his pocket, allowing the rays from the sun to glint off of the silver edges.

I pressed the button for nurse aid, but nothing happened. It wasn't until then that I realized he had probably killed everyone on the floor. I moved as far back as I could, knowing full well that I'd never be able to dodge a bullet in this condition.

**Back on Board Bebop…**

Jet was preparing a nice meal, with actual meat, to welcome Faye home. With all that had gone on in the past few days, he figured they all deserved to eat a hearty dinner. He was positive that there would be memorable feedback from Spike. Faye would normally agree, but as of that morning when he had gone to talk to her, she seemed different, suddenly more mature. It was almost like she had come to reality about herself.

"Ein is hungry. Edward too," Ed whined, leaping onto the counter.

"This is for later," Jet replied.

"But Ed is hungry nooow," she complained again.

"We have to wait for Spike to come back. Then we'll go pick up Faye," he explained the best he could, while still concentrating on the food.

"Can't we take the food with us to the Faye-Faye?" Ed suggested, thinking up the fastest way to get some food in her belly.

Sighing in defeat, Jet relented in agreement. Ed screamed in joy, jumping off of the counter and running out of the room. He gathered the food together, placing it in containers. When all of the steaming meal had been put into the Hammerhead, he called Ed and Ein to board, and they were on their way to the hospital. He sent a message to Spike, telling him that they would be at the hospital with dinner and he was welcome to come when he was ready. However, Jet wasn't sure how long it would take for Spike to come back. Dealing with the past was hard enough when you had lived a normal life, but for someone like Spike, it would be just as difficult as his made his life become.

It was crazy trying to unload the food with one barking dog running around his feet and yet another creature that could almost pass for human yelling at him to hurry going on at the same time. Finally, the Hammerhead was cleared and the trio made their way into the hospital. Only when they got into the building, there was something wrong. Nurses and doctors, even some patients were dead, lying in pools of their own blood on the marble floors.

Jet handed the food over to Ed. "Take this, go back to the ship."

"But..."

"No buts," he barked, pulling out his gun.

He made sure she had listened, then clicked on the elevator to go to Faye's floor. He just hoped she was still alive.

**A/N: **Another cliffhanger my friends! Mwhaahahaha! My brother thinks I'm a loser, but I call myself an artist! Ah...yes, well this was an interesting chapter. I tried to keep all points of view going and fun from Ed prominent, but alas, it took me over three weeks to write. I'm sorry for the delay, but I've been extremely busy with this whole getting published thing and several projects from my teachers at school. But now, hopefully, I'll have more time. Thank you for the reviews and keep them coming! _ Neveada Sierriana_


	9. Keepin' the Beat

"_However mean your life is, meet it and live it; do not shun it and cal it hard names." Henry David Thoreau _from Walden

**Chapter Nine: Keepin' the Beat**

**Third Person POV (Jet)**

Jet bounded over the scattered bodies, entering the elevator while holding his breath. The stench of decay was overpowering. These people had died instantly. He cringed at the realization while he ascended the levels of the building to Faye's room. The doors opened with the chime of a bell and he stepped out onto the desolate floor.

He leaned against the wall, holding his gun up, ready to shoot at anything that dared to move. Hearing nothing but the whirl of the lights above him, he made his way down the corridor to room 707. On his designated path, he warily admired the plain white walls, litered wtih blood splats. Nurse stations were abandoned, the bodies probably lying contorted on the floor, hidden behind the counters. Trying not to contemplate over it, he came upon her door. Taking a deep breath, he kicked it open, and jumped inside.

What he found, was not at all what he had assumed. Spike was there, as was Faye, and another man he had never laid eyes on before. Spike was holdign his left arm, and Jet could see a blood stain forming through the dark fabric of his blue jacket.Jet wondered if that ever stained.Spike's gun was on the floor, forgotten as it lied there, next to the man, the ex-cop assumed he had been the one to kill the attacker. Faye was sitting there in her bed, shaking from fear or the sudden loss of adrenaline. Her bed covers were messily wrapped around her, and her eyes were fixated on a random spot of the floor. As a mentor, Jet made a move to grasp her attention. He snapped his fingers in her general direction, but she didn't move.He tocalled her, but nothing.

Kneeling, on the floor, he bent down to examine the body. The man was clothed in officer's garmets, but he was no cop. Jet could sniff out a fake quick and this guy was definately a fake. Not knowing what else to do with him, but leave him for the authorities, he stood back up, brushing off his pants.

Still worried about Faye, who had now had two close brushes with death, Jet went to her side, taking her hand in his own. "Faye? Hey, Faye. Speak to me." She said nothing, didn't even look at him, she was still staring at the floor, staring right through him at her spot.

"Let's get her out of here," Spike said, moving between his friend and the shocked girl.

He picked her up in his arms, allowing her to grip the front of his shirt so she could balance herself. Jet followed his lead, going out to the ship with him. It had been hard for him to overlook all the bodies, but Spike moved over them as if they meant nothing at all. He just shifted his weight to aid him in evading a limb and used Faye as a balance of sorts. Jet could only wish he was that graceful in his actions as he bumbled behind.

When they reached the lobby area, Jet remembered why he had come. "How did you get here before me?" he asked, curious over all the untied ends of this new mystery.

"I just knew," Spike answered, carefully loading Faye into the Swordfish. "Meet you back at the Bebop."

"Right," Jet replied as his friend took off. What question had Spike answered? For some reason, Jet thought there was more to it, then beating him to Faye's side.

**First Person POV (Spike)**

I had come back. I had finally figured out what I was meant to do. Bounty hunting isn't the life of kings, but it beats most of the alternatives. I hadn't died when Vicious killed me because my purpose was to watch over them, all of them, especially Faye. She had no one. I knew that now. It was just had to understand why and why me. After all, Jet was a much better mentor, so why?

I carried Faye in to her room, knowing Jet would be here in a couple moments. I placed her down on her bed. She was still under sleep's deep spell. Her covers were all crumpled together at the edge, so I unwrinkled them, wrapping her up in case she got the chills. Then I switched off the light, heading out to inform Jet of all that had occurred.

"Cold."

I glanced over my shoulder. Had she just spoken? I reentered the room, grabbing the spare sheets folded at the base of the bed. I tucked them all around her, making sure to secure her body's warmth underneath them, as I had assumed I had done before. Then I stood up straight and stepped back, to check all angles for a sign of skin. I would have left right then and there, but her hand flopped over on top of mine.

I stared at her blank face. She appeared to still be sleeping. Could her hand movement only be a twitch brought on by a dream-like state? I was going to leave again, but her eyelids fluttered open. I was stuck. Those eyes looked so deep into my soul that I wasn't mobile. I could only stare back. The way she could ensnare me in her orbs reminded me so much of Julia. The pain of her loss hit my heart, causing me to cringe under Faye's gaze.

Wordlessly, she moved over, patting the spare space beside her. I climbed on top of the bed, not hesitating for a second, and lied down aside of her. She let out a relaxed sigh, sounding like a mythical angel, though I knew that innocence to be nothing more than a deception. Still, I couldn't help but gaze down at her pale face, a complete reflection to my own light skin. Almost instantly, she fell asleep, still without speaking to me, just trusting in my care.

I thought of staying with her as she slumbered, simply falling asleep next to her, which for some reason completely appealed to me even more so than my manly instincts. I remembered all the long nights I had held Julia in my arms, how fulfilled I had become when I felt the warmth of her body pressed against mine. Not knowing how Faye would react in such a situation, I kept my mitts to myself.

When she awoke, would she recall her request for me to stay with her, or would she wake and naturally suspect the worst from me? I didn't need to have another fight with her, not so soon after her scare. So, carefully, I rolled off of the bed, and left her room. As I passed from her chamber to mine, Jet saw me, gliding down the hall. He raised an eyebrow as I stopped to look at him, confused, but I waved him off, going to bed. He could eat his precious dinner alone with Ed. I had some serious sleeping to catch up on.

**A/N: **I am well aware of how short this chapter turned out to be. It's more of a filler than anything else. So I'm sorry for the length. However, I'm having a bit of a dilemma lately. I am in love with art schools, but I am having the hardest time mastering the art of realistic drawing. It bothers me to extreme frustration and though I am taking classes, so far, I have seen very little improvement and it is scaring me. I'm fearing I'll never get into college and the tension I'm feeling has begun to effect my writing. So once again, I apologize for the shortness, but at this time, it's hard to complete a long chapter with good quality. _Neveada Sierriana _


	10. Our Secret Sonata

**Chapter Ten: Our Secret Sonata**

"_Love is like an hourglass, with the heart filling up as the brain empties_." - Jules Renard

* * *

**Flashback - (Faye First Person POV)**

"I'm tiring of your stubborness, Romani," he growled, grabbing me by the scuff of my robe. "Tell me where he is!" When I didn't answer immediately, he threw me off the bed, and across the tiled floor. I slid up against the wall. All of my normal fighting instincts were gone. I felt like a small child, who had no recollection of how to take care of herself. So as he approached, a murderous look in his eye, all I could do was cower.

That's when _he_ arrived.

The door crashed open, and in a flash of blue, he kicked the gun out of the cop's hand. It spiraled through the air, before clattering onto the floor in front of me. Surprised, my attacker stumbled backwards, staring at Spike, who greeted him with a bullet to the leg. He jumped, trying to miss it, but the metal pellet lodged itself into his knee joint, where I assumed, it was more painful then if he had stayed still to take it in the thigh. From the expression on Spike's face, it appeared that he had known his opponent was going to jump.

It a final desperate act, he turned around, and hauled me to a standing position, as if pleased to have a hostage. Spike cocked an eyebrow, his best form of intimidation. I stood as still as stone, hoping I wasn't about to die. All I heard were three shots, then I was sitting on the bed, staring at the dead body on the floor, blood the only pillow for what remained of the cop's head.

* * *

**Present - (Faye First Person POV)**

I woke up to someone bouncing on my abdomen. Pressing my palms against my ears, I gazed up at Ed, who was presently dancing across my stomach. If that wasn't enough of a rude awakening, I heard what she was singing. "The Faye-Faye is back, is back, is back! Ed can't wait to catch a big bounty!" She was using the tune from the old Earth song "London Bridge is Falling Down," which for some reason I could remember, though I didn't recall anything completely important about my past. "Jet and Spike will be so happy, my dear Faye-Faye!"

"Ed," I growled, sitting up and throwing her off of my. She did an expert flip off of the bed, giggling at me.

"Faye-Faye's hair is messed up."

"That's not all that's going to be messed up if you don't get out of this room pronto!" I shouted. Ed's eyes went wide, but she never got sad. Instead, she gave me a friendly wave, and bounded out of my room. Sighing, I gathered a set of fresh clothes. Since I was already up, I might as well take a shower. I was sure that I needed it after the time I had been tossed around from near death experience to hospital, to the next near death experience.

Stretching with the pile of sewn fabrics in my hands, I draped a towel around my neck, and strolled out into the corridor. I heard Jet's voice, and went to see what was up. I was still sore from the events of yesterday, but I wasn't going to sit back and let the guys have all the fun. If they were going out in search of a bounty, I was going to go with them. I didn't care what Jet said, or Spike for that matter. It didn't bother me anymore. I had nearly died. The experiences had shown me something. I loved life and I loved what I was doing. I wanted to continue doing it. I wasn't going to sit back in a corner, scared of everything around me. That wasn't the kind of life I wanted. I paused above them when I got to the living room.

"His name was Stravinski," Jet was saying. "Yerkof Stravinski."

"Never heard of him," Spike shrugged, sitting further back in his seat, while opening a can of beer. "Why does it matter?"

"He nearly killed Faye! I think that means something, don't you?" Jet nearly yelled.

"What about him?" Spike relented.

Jet was silent, rubbing his temples. "He was Vicious' brother."

"WHAT!"

I stepped back, pressing my back against the nearest wall. My breathing didn't come out as I wanted it to. I dropped my clothes and went back to my chamber. As if in a trance, I sat down on my bed, plugging in the contraption called the VCR. I turned on the TV and popped in the video I had sent myself long ago. Tears brimmed my eyes as I watched my younger self, talking about the things I was suppose to remember, but had to recollection of. What did any of this have to do with Vicious or his brother...nothing, but for some reason I was drawn to watch it again.

When rapid static crossed the screen I grabbed the entire set and threw it against the wall with a scream of frustraton. It wasn't until after I had almost hit him that I saw Spike enter. He looked at the rubble on the floor, the bits and pieces of the mechanical device, now utterly destroyed before his feet. Then he glanced up at me, stepping over the debris. "Nice arm."

I wasn't in the mood. "Get the hell out, Spike."

He sighed, nudging the pile of parts that was all that was left of the VCR with the tip of his shoe. "I want to talk to you."

"So talk." I hadn't meant to snap, but it came out.

Either he didn't hear the nasty bite in my tone, or he just chose to ignore the evident anger. "Why did that guy want you dead?"

"What does it matter?" I questioned, staring at where the equipment had sat just a moment before. The spot was empty now, just like my inside...empty.

Spike stalked over to me, grabbing my shoulders roughly. He shook me. "Stop being so goddamn stubborn and give me the straight answer!" I stared at him, unsure whether to speak or not, then I told him, all I knew, without telling him what I had overheard Jet say. I owed him, but he didn't need to have the knowledge that I had been eavesdropping.

"He wasn't after me. He wanted you."

* * *

**Flashback - (Spike First Person POV)**

I stood above them all, watching. Not one of them moved. More would be coming, so I couldn't linger here forever. I just wanted to know that answer. I wanted to understand what was meant for me in this life, why I hadn't died alongside my commrade. He had betrayed me, but I had also stabbed him in the back. We were even, right? So why had he passed on, while I was left to remain here?

Shouting from the hallway, signaled me to get moving. I triggered the Swordfish to fly up to the nearest window, kicking the glass out of my way, before diving on top of my metal aircraft. Guns blazed behind me as I climbed inside and took off, but I could hardly hear them. I was too busy listening to something else, something I had put on Faye's bracelet.

"...I am looking for someone. I believe you know him. His name is Mr. Spike Spiegel. Would I be correct in that assumption?" There was a long pause, and then the same voice asked, "Well, Ms. Valentine?"

I didn't know why, but at that moment I was afraid. It was as if I had gotten the wind knocked out of me. I sped off to the hospital, not sure how much time I had. I had no idea who was talking to her, but from his tone, I assumed he wasn't there to hold a chat over tea. Faye had almost died for me once, she wasn't going to lose her life, not while I was still around.

* * *

**Back to Present**

"Why did you protect me, Faye?" Spike asked.

Staring at the floor, I responded, "I don't know."

"Yes you do."

I looked him right in the eyes, those two mismatched eyes, since the one was fake. "This place is all I have left, Spike. I went after my past, like you told me. All I found was a broken dream. That's why I didn't want you to go." I paused, remember that day he had left us. So much had happened since then...since he had returned. "Jet and Ed may not be perfect, but they're my family. This," gestured to the ship, "may not be where I planned on living, and bounty hunting is definatly not what I precieved myself as doing for a living, but I like it here. This is my home now and you're a part of that, whether you want to be or not."

Spike stood up, lighting a cigarette, and taking a deep drag. His eyes were closed as if in thought. "Is that the only reason?"

I glared at him, from where I sat. "What are you getting at?" I snapped defiantly.

He didn't answer me with words, just showed me a rare grin. Taking the cigarette out of his mouth, he bent down and kissed me on the cheek, right by the edge of my mouth. Then he stood up straight, stuck the cigarette back into his mouth and strolled out of the room, just as quietly as he had entered.

Obviously, it was safe to say that I was stunned.

* * *

**A/N: **Sorry it took so long to update, everyne. I was working hard on my HP fic "Shattered." Now my writer's block has shifted from this story to that one. Please read and review! _Neveada Sierriana_


	11. Public Tango

**Chapter Eleven: Public Tango**

"_We are young, heartache to heartache we stand  
No promises, no demands  
Love is a battlefield  
We are strong, no one can tell us we're wrong  
Searchin' our hearts for so long, both of us knowing  
Love is a battlefield..."_ - **Pat Benatar** (Love is a Battlefield)

* * *

Laying on my bed, I tried to figure it all out. I had loved Spike for a long time, probably longer than I let on. When he had left us two years ago, I had realized it. Right before he had gone, when I had begged him to stay, telling him there was nothing good to come out from our pasts, I had known. The look in his eyes, it had killed me. Perhaps that was what had driven me to shoot a hole in the ceiling of the ship, something Jet had made me pay for. 

Still, no matter how much I wanted to believe that he could love me back, I had never though it would actually happen. But one kiss doesn't mean love. Of all people on the ship, I knew that from experience. How many times had a guy screwed me over? Plenty. I always got back up though. That's why they called me Lady Luck, because I could survive through anything.

My right leg hung off the side of the bed. Lazily I drug it back and forth across the rough carpet. )clink( I sat up, glancing down at what I had hit with the edges of my toes. The VCR and TV were still on the floor, seemingly a bigger mess than when I had last laid my eyes upon them. Grudgingly, I picked up the largest pieces first, tossing them into a disposal container, then went to work on the smaller shards.

Jet was busy making dinner in the kitchen. I supposed that was why I hadn't heard from Ed yet. The smells drifting back into my room were delicious. Though he was dead, Mr. Bounty, who had nearly killed me, had been worth quite a handsome sum, and the money was all going to our supplies. Real food is a grace from God when it is really needed.

I walked around the ship, picking up the clothing I had left outside of the living room, and then deciding to take that shower. Locking the bathroom door, I stood against it for a moment considering what on earth I was doing in a place like this. Though it was my home, how much longer could I survive out here? I wasn't getting any younger. Soon Jet wouldn't be in the business anymore and I would have to rely on someone. Could I count on Spike?

Turning on the hot water, I stripped down, careful not to nick off any of my bandages that were still intact from the hospital. My doctor had told me to leave them on as long as they would stay, then secure new ones on and repeat the process. My bracelet slid off my wrist easily. I had hardly eaten in the last few days and because of it my body was already conforming to its lack of protein.

Settling down in the bath, embraced by the rising steam that surrounded me, I inhaled deeply, finding peace in the simple pleasure of cleanliness. Closing my eyes, I dipped by head under the water and cleared my mind. I thought of everything that had happened during the day from a different point of view, instead of getting cluttered by my own opinions and my own emotions. Instead, I became objective, seeing it all as if I was outside my own body.

The last thing I saw caught my attention. I sat up in the tub, causing some of the water to spill over the sides from my sudden movement. Not even bothering to dry off my hand, I reached down to the floor to retrieve my bracelet and spotted the same thing that had alarmed me so before. There was a guidance chip lodged in my bracelet.

I had never been one to panic over petty matters, but if this chip was there from either Mr. Bounty or that Syndicate nut, I was in trouble. I knew how stubborn men were and I knew how they hated to give up. If someone out there wanted me dead, then I was going to be dead. This chip had led them all to me and it could still possibly lead more. I had enough enemies as it was. The last thing I needed was another encounter, so soon after the first two.

Quickly drying myself off, I changed into my gray sweats, and raced back into my room. I began packing my bags, with what few items I still possessed. It was in this frenzy that Ed entered my room, bouncing through the hall with Ein trailing her, to announce that it was time for dinner. I stopped what I was doing, considering how good a full meal in my stomach would be, then paused on my packing to get some nourishment.

Settling down at the table, with the companions I had learned to get along with, like, and finally love, I stared at each of their faces, trying to make an imprint of what they all looked like down to the very last detail, in case I never got back. Jet dished out a plate of ham and string beans to each member of the crew, saving himself for last. He always had been old fashioned. Then everyone was eating, in complete and utter silence. I couldn't believe how everyone was acting, as if nothing was bothering them, was it only me? Sighing, I began to eat too.

"Hmmmm, not wearing your bracelet, Faye?" Jet asked, nonchalantly.

I glanced down at my bare wrist, feeling odd without my normal piece of jewelry. "It was bugged," I muttered, trying to ignore his sharp intake of breath. "I'm going to dump it out in the middle of space and take a vacation."

"The Faye-Faye is leaving again?" Ed inquired, putting a pouting face on.

"Yeah."

I couldn't bring myself to tell her that I might not be back. If those men…whoever they were tracked me down and found me, what where my chances of getting back to the Bebop alive? I didn't want to go, but I had to protect them. They deserved so much for all the times I had been childish and go off, waiting for them to come after and rescue me.

As if nothing had happened earlier, Spike remained silent throughout the meal. He didn't even look at me, when I sent Jet my "Don't come after me this time. I'm serious" stare. If I had ever wanted anything, I wanted to hear him make a smart-ass comment like he always did. But Spike never gave me what I wanted when I needed it the most, so why would this time be any different from the last?

Still, his silence didn't bother me. Instead, I used his ignoring state to memorize him. I stared directly at him while I ate my dinner and he never once looked up to notice. I would sporacdically close my eyes, trying to make sure I would be able to picture him this way when I was gone, be able to die with the vision of him calmly eating something that he actually wanted. I never saw the strange looks of interest Jet was giving us both. Ed was obviously too busy to notice anything as she gobbled down her dinner. And Ein…well someone forgot to feed him…again.

Dinner was over all too quickly, and without making eye contact with me, Spike excused himself to go off on his own. Jet shook his head and began to clear away the table, while Ed returned to her "tomato" to find us a new "client." Ein, the good dog he always was, sat by her side, waiting patiently…or maybe he was hoping she'd remember to feed him. With no one to watch what I was doing, I returned to my room, taking out my own "tomato" and deciding to call upon my correspondent.

I logged on, hoping that I would find him, and luckily I had mail from him. Anticipation made me antsy, and I opened up the electronic letter he had sent. The words inside made my insides flip. It read:

**MeMoRyPhAsEd29 to** **HoTyElLoWsHoRtS28**:I put the chip on your bracelet. I wanted to keep you safe.

I sat back from the computer screen, convinced that I had to have been reading it all wrong. This guy was the reason I had been shot out, beaten, and nearly killed? I had wanted a friend and instead, without even knowing it, I had made a very bad enemy. Shivering, I shut down the computer, finished packing, and hurried out to the hanger to load the Red Tail.

When I entered the chilly chamber, I spotted another in the room. It was Spike. He was polishing down the Swordfish with an old rag, humming a little tune to himself. Obviously, he didn't realize that I was there, but no matter. I didn't plan on staying very long. Still, as I set my bags down, I though I ought to at least say goodbye to him. He had saved my life twice. I owed him at least a farewell. So softly, I approached to tap him on the shoulder, only I never got to touch him, for he turned around right before I could make contact.

He appeared to want to say something, but no words came out of his mouth. Over his shoulder I noticed something was flashing across his screen. It was a notice of a message...an e-mail. I recognized the first couple of words, but immediately I read the entire thing, just to be sure. It was the letter I had just recieved from MeMoRyPhAsEd29. That meant.....

I lost all the breath in my lungs as I stepped back to stare at him. How? How out of all the millions of people in this universe could we have found each other on-line? How long had he been keeping his other identity secret from me? How did this happen? And why? Why had he done this? Why had he kept up with the charade? He stepped over, wrapping his fingers around her arms, pulling me forward, closer to him. Then, just barely above the sound of a sigh, he whispered to me something I had longed to hear ever since I had fallen.

"I think I may love you."

I closed my eyes, cherishing those six little words, so simple, yet so moving at the same time. I never expected him to continue, because suddenly he was kissing me. I don't remember how it started, or who pulled away first, but all I know is after it ended, all I could see was him, not the cold hanger, or the ships sitting there in the background, just _him_.

So of course I failed to notice the audience we had gotten.

"Spike?"

"Huh?" Spike spotted Jet and Ed, with Ein at her side. "Ah!?" he blushed, rubbing the back of his neck, and turned away. I could also feel heat flashing across the pale skin of my cheekbones. "Can't a guy have some privacy?"

Ed was all over that comment. "Oh la la! Spike-person and the Faye-Faye are going to have a tomato together, yes?" She climbed over both of us, pausing for the answer to her question on Spike's shoulders.

"ED!"

She shrunk back after our yelling, sitting on the floor by our feet, still smiling that childish smirk she always wore when she knew far more than she should. I glanced over at Spike, who was scratching the back of his neck again, something he did often when he was thinking, though I had never seen him so nervously. Jet put his hands in his pockets, looking rather uncomfortable now that he knew what must have been going on behind his back. Ed still sat there, rocking back and forther on her heels, waiting for something to happen. Ein stared up at me, wishing for something. I wonder if he ever got fed his dinner, maybe that was what he was waiting for. The silence lingered on and it became too much to bear.

I exploded.

"Someone say something!"

Both men made eye contact with one another, stared at me, and then resumed their shared silence. I was overly angry, and I knew it. There was no reason for me to shout, but I couldn't control my emotions anymore. Spike had ripped the only security I had held over them and they were running loose. When no one said anything, I stormed off to my room. Ed only stalled for a moment, then raced after me, Ein tagging along with a bark of enthusiasm. Still hungry, I suppose.

**Third Person POV**

"What's with her?"Spike asked Jet.

The older man shrugged. "You know women. Highly unpredictable, especially her." He started out. "I wish you luck with handeling that one my friend," he added, patting him on the back. "Cause you're going to need it."

**Faye's POV**

Back in my room, I was lying on my bed...again. I was trying to assess the situation. Ed was closeby, as usual, working on my "tomato." She was convinced a bit of technology could cure me of my depression, but she was wrong. I was too disappointed in Spike to let a itty bitty machine help me out. A light chimming alerted me of a new message. There was only one person it could be from. Lazily, I reached over top of Ed's head and shut the laptop down. She stared over her shoulder at me, surprised, but the look in my eyes must have told her I didn't want to read it. She gently placed it on the ground and let my room.

Rolling over on my side, I went to sleep.

**Author's Note:**To all of you who thought MemoryPhased was Spike...you were right!....obviously. Anyway, at least it's all out in the open now. I'm not sure how much more e-mailing they'll be doing, it was just a little detail for the story, but if I get enough pleas for more, I'll think of it. Still...once again, Spike has made her mad. What else is new?........(silence).....Okay, I'll shut up and work on the next chapter, but only if you're good readers and review, review, REVIEW!!!!! _Neveada Sierriana_


	12. Samba of Passion

**Chapter 12: Samba of Passion**

_"Love Survives"  
_  
_...I peered thru life  
Ever avoiding strife  
But now am undone  
My barriers broken  
For one has found me _

Reached in and unbound me...

...The darkness of my solitude is done...

- Robert K. Charron -

* * *

**Faye's POV**

Sleep had hardly ever been so good. As soon as my eyelids had closed over my eyeballs, things weren't the same. I went somewhere no ship could have ever taken me. I drifted on a gentle breeze to a place where I had only visited once before, when I had been frozen to last years ahead of my time. I was comfortable in every way, completely disconnected from my physical surroundings…and it was in that place that I found peace.

My worries over Spike's actions left. I didn't consider him anymore. I forgot about Ein needing his dinner, leaving that to the only other person who would notice, Jet. He had been my mentor, everyone's mentor, since we arrived. He could look after us while I was here, wherever here was. As for Ed, she would have to learn how to contain herself, how to use her "tomato" without announcing all her advancements to me, because this place was too good to leave. I would stay here forever…forever in sleep.

It was kind of a morbid thought, parallel to death, but it didn't bother me. I was safe here, with no needs, no problems. I only wished I had found it sooner. If I had, I never would have had to see him come back, or hear how she had died, or…there was just so much that I knew now, more than I had ever wanted to know. Perhaps that was what was changing me…the knowledge of Spike, as the mystery man unraveled, perhaps that was the true cause behind it all.

I had seen a change in him to, more emotion than ever before. He had always been so casual, never caring for details unless it was to aid him with a bounty. Sure, there had been moments when his anger had come unharnessed, or points were he truly laughed alongside of Jet, but those places in time were few and far between. Spike was just simply an enigma, and with a paradox, such as himself, I couldn't be sure what to expect from him next.

That was why I was surprised to wake up, only to find him sitting there against my bed. At first, I didn't breath, for fear he'd notice that I was awake. I took in every inch of him, noticing how he slouched on the side of the bed, where his back was propped up. His hands hung limply from over his kneecaps and his eyes were focused on the floor in front of him. He was waiting….waiting for me awaken.

I sat up and I saw a slight movement come from him. I picked up a brush from my bedside table, running the coils through my short hair, which was becoming long. I'd have to get it cut soon. I wondered briefly if we'd be stopping by Saturn anytime in the near future.

"What are you doing here, Spike?"

There was never a point in my life after I had met him where I didn't want to be with him. Seeing him like this now, in this state, that could almost resemble depression, it moved me. Yet, I couldn't just ignore the fact that he had made a fool of me in front of the others. Ed was a kid and was too young to understand, but Jet had been there as well. I didn't want to know what type of comments he would be making. This was all wrong!

"I wanted to talk." His voice was hoarse, as if he had been shouting.

The only other person I could picture him yelling at was Jet, and that was just simply out of the question. They were buddies again. Jet and Spike had fought on numerous occasions, many either right in front of me, with me, or close enough that it kept me from concentrating on whatever it was I was suppose to be doing, but neither man had ever showed regret after the battle…with one exception. The final night when Spike had gone off…off to die only to be reborn as this new Spike, who was still the old Spike, only more mysterious, Jet had blamed himself. I had never seen a man so defeated, with such a hopeless look in his old eyes. That was a factor that had beaten me. That was one of the reasons I had become hopeless, without a will to live.

"There is nothing to say," I told him, setting my brush down with a rather noisy clunk. "You thought you loved me, but in your heart, you know the truth." My tear-filled eyes lifted up to meet his expressionless orbs. "You could never truly love me….because you are still in love with a ghost, a shell of a woman who used to be called Julia." His hands tightened, the fingers curling under the palms, clenching into fists, as I had assumed they would upon the mentioning of _her_ name. He didn't say anything, another feature I had expected from him. I stared at my toes, holding my knees up to my chest. "It's fine. I didn't ever anticipate so much from you in one day." I took a breath, hoping not to lose it again. Anger, sadness….anything that I could dish out I didn't want to. So I held the breath until I was sure, then let it out slowly, carefully. "If you don't have anything else to say, leave."

He finally looked at me with those brownish eyes, completely mismatched. I was still watching my toes, though I noticed the change in him out of the corner of my eyes. My chin was resting on the top of my knees as I tried to regulate my breathing and the rushed pace of my heart. He stood up, accepting what I hadsaid and walking over to the door. He stopped there, watching me, taking in all the motion I dispersing , which was only the light breathing I was forced to keep constant. Then suddenly he came over, yanking my arms away from my body. I was shocked at his motions, gawking at him as if he was mad. Out of nowhere, he picked me up, and carried me out of the room.

He used his foot to kick open his bedroom door, and did the same to slam it shut. He half dropped me, half set me down on my own two feet. I opened my mouth to yell at him and was drowned. The air in which I had saved up to shout was shoved back down my throat as his lips covered mine for the third time in the last 24 hours. There was no hiding the passion he possessed in that kiss. I was still gasping for air when we pulled apart minutes later.

Reaching out, I traced his face with my fingertips. "Why?"

"I told you. I believe I love you." He drew me to him again, closing his eyes, but I placed my hands in between us, keeping him at a distance, no matter how small.

I thought of all those nights I had spent the entire evening waiting for him to come back. The long hours had drifted by, not blessing me with the release of sleep, but prolonging my agony until I had to drink myself into a stupor. It was hard to believe that Jet and I had nearly worked off my huge debt in the last year before Spike's arrival. With his help, I had managed to make more than three-quarters of the money I owed disappear. But no one else knew that…not even Ed.

"What about Julia?"

He stood back, sighing. "I loved Julia, I did…but she's dead now. All things happen for a purpose, Faye. She died and I lived. There was a reason for that. I was suppose to come back to protect you."

"So destiny is to blame?"

He had never been one to believe in anything, least of all destiny. If Spike Spiegel found spiritual guidance in something that this universe had to offer, Julia would have been it. However, I couldn't overlook his strong companionship with those he had fought alongside. Though in the end, he had been forced to kill Vicious, perhaps that was the true moment in which he had died. Was that the sudden reason for the change in him? Had all the death, the blood, the decay finally given a light upon the world in front of him?

"I don't understand it all, but you're my reason for being here…you're the reason I'm still alive."

The lining of skin underneath my eye began to twitch with a burning pain. I didn't understand at first, I thought I was just angry at him, but then I realized I was crying. "You're full of shit," I told him, trying not to let him see the tears as I wiped them away roughly. How many times had I cried in front of him in the past month?

"Maybe," he shrugged in response. Bending his head down, he lit a fresh cigarette. He breathed out, exhaling a whiff of thick white cloud in the room. Using his left leg to prop him up, he leaned back against the cool metal wall near to the door. Not a word escaped his lips.

"What are we doing in here, Spike?" I asked, softly, already knowing the answer. He was a man after all. I couldn't assume that he had brought me here to chit chat over tea. I wasn't naïve. Sitting down on his bed, I brought my legs up to me again, wrapping my arms around them.

"Let's not play dumb. I know what your silence almost did to you." He leaned over to me, dipping his face particularly close to my own. "You could have died if I hadn't tagged your bracelet." My eyes widened as I recalled his sneaky attack. I moved to slap him, but he easily dodged it, going back to his position against the wall, looking as causal as ever. He chuckled. "I know how loyal you are. Thieves usually don't look out for anyone but themselves."

"I told you why I did it!" I snapped. "I was protecting my family!"

"But that's not all of it," he commented with a sly grin. Snuffing out the butt, he approached me again. "You care about me and it's killing you on the inside. It makes your Romani blood boil." I snorted, disgusted at his idea, but he only grinned wider. "It explains why you always run away instead of facing your problems."

"Bastard," I hissed, pushing past him to the door.

He let me past. There was no other way I would have gotten by. He was just a bone thin, lanky person, but he had strength. He knew how to use my own force against me. There was no doubt that had he wanted to, he could have forced anything out of me. I wouldn't have minded, but that was what repulsed me about it even more, and I bolted down the hall.

"Think what you want, but you know it's true." His voice reached my ears, despite the decreased decibel. I stopped there, in the middle of the hall, just listening. "Don't live in denial, Faye." I closed my eyes, waiting for the end of it. When there was no more, I opened my eyes and went into my room, but not before I heard him whisper, "Please." Pausing, I glanced back at him, peering out his doorway, then I locked my door and went to bed.


	13. Sounds of the Heart

_**Chapter 13: Sounds of the Heart**_

_Life is pleasant. Death is peaceful. It's the transition that's troublesome.  
-Isaac Asimov_

_The tragedy of life is what dies inside aperson whilethey live.  
-Albert Schweitzer_

**Faye POV**

I didn't fall asleep right away. In fact, it took me a couple hours until my eyes even blinked. I kept playing the recent scene of what had just happened over and over again. _"Don't live in denial, Faye." _True, Spike had changed in these past months, but to indirectly admit his feelings for me was completely out of character. I tried to picture what he had been like previous to his death. A smile spread upon my lips. We had behaved like children. No wonder Jet had reacted the way he had around us.

Jet Black had always been a father figure to me, probably because I couldn't recall having one of my own. Thinking of it then, thought, I realized he had been my mentor in more ways than that. Spike and I had always bickered in an immature manner over silly, pointless matters. Jet had always been the one to calm each of us down, after separating us, so we didn't go for each other's throats. The time the rock lobster had been loose on the ship and Spike had given him the lizard concotion, we had both stared at him, like children, far too curious to consider the role we played in our captain's life. The thing that made the most difference though was my impulse to leave. All the times I had runaway, Jet had been the one to come get me, just as a father would.

_Except for last time…. _

Despite my intention to drive the subject of Spike Spiegel away, my mind forced me back to the hospital episode. No matter how I tried to picture it before my eyes the way it really had been, all I could see was red. Red blood covered every piece of furniture, each inch of the floor, painted the walls a deep crimson, and it was those details that were printed in my brain, branded there for the rest of time.

I noticed my limbs were trembling. Wordlessly, I brought a blanket to lie over top of me, and rolled onto my side. Red. I shivered. Red. The screaming was louder in my mind that the soothing vibrations of the Bebop. Red. All those people had died and all because of such a small argument that man had had with me. RED! Shaking, I pressed myself together, forcing my eyes to close.

A tragedy is something no person should have to endure. I knew what I had gone through couldn't be classified as one. I had provoked it with my many crazy forms of life. Suffering after the love of your life is shot, that was something to cry about at night, an idea that would give you nightmares. Spike could do those things. He had a right to. I didn't.

Sleep did not come easily and when it did, all I saw was blood…deep scarlet blood.

* * *

**Spike POV**

She shut the door on me, something I should have gotten used to by now. Jet had told me that my absence had put her through a lot, and though he had been right to accuse me of being the mysterious man who had saved her at the bar, I could never tell him. If I did, he'd badger me to know why. He knew now, of course. He had seen the way I had kissed her, the way I held her in my arms, like she was made of glass and I feared that she would break under my touch...the way Julia had.

It didn't matter which angle I looked at it from. Either way, I had been the real cause for Julia's death. If she hadn't cared for me, if she hadn't gone to such great lengths to be free with me, perhaps her fate would not have been the way it had come to pass. Then again, recalling how quickly everything had fallen into place after meeting up with her again,I wondered if she had felt threatened by Faye. They had met one another after all, and they must have known something about my feelings for the other. Had Julia felt threatened by my bounty hunting partner?

_Let's just run away somewhere. Truly escape from this world and go where no one else is... Just the two of us..._

The idea seemed silly, impossible even, but my mind wouldn't let it go. It had been three years since I had see her. I had often called her my woman, and told Jet that he could worry about "the other one"...the other one being Faye. Part of me felt guilty for the blunt way I had named her that. It had never been something I meant, although I had changed since my death. I had realized a lot about myself, more than I had thought possible. Somewhere inside of me, there was still a beating heart, and it felt for her in a way I had never felt for Julia. Perhaps that was what real love was.

I heard her scream. The sound was heightened for my ears only. In that moment, I realized the connection we had with one another. I leapt out of my bed, unconciously tossing cover sheets to the floor. It only took me a moment to bust the door open and in the next instant, I was by her side. I exhaled, silently thanking the higher powerLaughing Bull believed so strongly in. She was only dreaming. Even as I clutched her hand in my own, I could see the slight rise and fall of her chest as she slumbered on.

"Faye," I whispered, placing her hand on her stomach. Usually, she slept in old shorts and a white tank, but she was sleeping in the same clothes she had worn all day and was partially covered by a blanket. She didn't stir as I called her name, but her body became calmer. The rhythm of her breathing decreased in speed, matching the normal pattern of inhaling a sleeping person has. A smirk came to appear on my lips as I watched her.

Call me old fashioned, but in my opinion, women are at their most beautiful when deeply sleeping. They aren't wearing make-up, so one can see their natural face and pick out their unique delicate features. With their eyes closed, there is no need to make direct eye contact with them. One can simply view and review any portion of their body without them knowing or judging. It may seem perverted, but I would never take advantage of a woman, especially Faye, unless she wanted me to.

I had never been sure what I would encounter when I returned to the Bebop. After a few years, it had become my home. I didn't know where else I could have turned. I had spent time away to understand. I had wanted to understand so that when I came back, at least I could explain something to them, something that I was sure of, even if I wasn't sure of returning. I had predicted Jet's reaction right, but Faye...I had never known a woman to be so unpredictable, so reckless, and so careless with her life. She was so much like me in that respect that sometimes it worried me. Maybe the irony of it all, was that she was me, the living part of me, and I needed to protect that, for whatever reason the gods saw fit, perhaps that was the plan.

Glacing at her clock, I noticed that there were still several hours until morning. Space is always dark, an eternal night, but humans still live by there biological clocks. Mornings for us bountyhunters usually start at eleven a.m. and end whenever. Most nights are spent chasing down clues from a previous fight or chase that turned unsuccessful, although sometimes, the occasional bounty will make things interesting enough that the chase continues on through the entire night, giving someone, like me, a rather fun round of cat and mouse. Grinning as I recalled those few special times, I wondered if those were the moments I lived for, or at least, was available to.

There had been dozens of women in my life, only one of which I had ever gotten intimate with beyond a kiss. Faye was rapidly becoming the second of the elite group. Julia, had, in fact, been the first and the only, until this point. I knew I had to stop comparing them. It had always seemed, and still did, even after her death, that the two were at war with one another for my heart. The only problem with that scenario was, I wasn't sure if I still had one.

Needing to know, I closed my eyes, and focused on the spot in which I intended to sleep for the rest of the night. Immediatly, I saw her face, that simple pale colored flesh with those striking eyes and shocking purple hair. There was no natuarl blonde in my line of vision, only a girl who had been left without a family, stranded on this ship with a crew of gunsmen, and one wildly strange redheaded child. Carefully, I climbed over her, taking the open space aside of her warm body, and there I laiddown, gently draping my right arm around her small form.

Sleep never came so swiftly.

* * *

**Faye POV**

My eyes fluttered open at the unfamiliar sound. Curious, I sat up, clutching the cover sheet of my futon to my chest. My room appeared to be normal and the rhythm of the ship was steady. For once, things felt right, as if they were going to continue to remain fine. Sliding back down on my spine, I rolled over right into Spike's chest.

Gasping, I yanked back. What was he doing in my room? More importantly...what was he doing in my _bed_! How had I not noticed his arrival? I didn't know what to do. I had never had a man in my bed where I didn't understand why he was there. Spike hadn't take advantage of me, I knew that at least, and as much as I hated to admit it, I did trust him. Still, this was strange. I was at a loss as to how to react.

He was foreign ot me, in his sleeping form. There was an aura of peace, content, written by his features. I had the sudden urge to touch that angelic face. My fingertips cautiously unwound from their fist form, advancing toward his pale skin. Seconds later, the tips of my fingers were tracing the outline of his face, his nose, and finally his lips. When they made contact, he surprised me, but quickly grabbing my wrist and planting a kiss on my opened palm.

"Hey," he yawned, stretching slightly. He said it in such a casual manner, oen would have thought we were lovers.

Not knowing what else to say, I followed his lead. "Hi."

For a couple minutes, neither of us said another word. He stared at me, those mismatched eyes glistening in the dim light that was peeping in from the hallway under the door. I could see my reflection in his eyes, a woman from all corners of the universe, one who had learned the tricks of the trade and had nothing to show for it. My life was a sad life, an endless story that never seemed to have a conclusion. Could he see that too? I wondered.

"What are you doing in here?" I asked, breaking the deafening silence between us. It was a tense moment.

"You screamed," he answered, as if it explained everything. "I wanted to make sure you were alright."

Visions from my many nightmares flashed before my eyes, clips tainted in red, all sharing the same main idea, the same memory that haunted me each time I closed my eyelids. "I can't stop remembering."

He chuckled.

"Why is that funny?"

Sighing, he propped himself up against the wall. "There was a time when you would have given anything to remember your old life, the times you had had before being awoken in the doctor's lab. Now," he shrugged. "Just kind of ironic."

"Yeah," I agreed, thinking it over. He scratched his neck, his eyes shut once again. "Spike?"

"Mm?"

I was afraid to ask, but the words came out of my mouth anyway. "Where do we go from here?"

"I don't know," he admitted, looking directly into my eyes. I nodded and laid back down. He hesitated, but then did the same, relaxing in the same position I had found him in. Exhaling, I closed my eyes, trying to find sleep. Softly, ever so more lower than a whisper, he said, "Faye?" I turned to look at him. "Come here." I moved and he wrapped me in his arms. That was how I fell asleep, and he became my cure for the nightmares.

_The hospital was dark and chills were racing up and down my spine. I looked to the left where the rest of the room was, empty except for the chair Jet had occupied earlier. To my right was the large window I had watched the rain fall down from. Somewhere, outside, Spike was finishing up his old life to start anew. He was going to leave Julia, Vicious, and the entire Syndicate behind. It made me happy and at the same time sad. I couldn't imagine what it must be like to turn your back on your entire life to embrace another form of it. Although, technically, I had already done that. _

_Mr. Bounty and Stravinski weren't there, although the atmosphere seemed perfect for them to attack me. Then, _he_ came. He walked through the door with my golden bracelet, no longer tagged, and placed it on my wrist. "Faye, are you alright?" he asked. I nodded and he smiled, actually smiled. Then he helped me up off the bed and we got into our respective ships and sailed off, bound for the Bebop, our home. _

My dreams had never been so nice.

* * *

**Third Person POV**

Jet finished cooking breakfast and looked around. Ed was sitting at the table, a fork clutched in one fist and a knife in the other. Her napkin was fastened around her neck in a make-shift bib. On the floor by her feet sat Ein, an empty dog dish aside of his left paw. However, two very important occupants were missing. Though Faye sometimes refused to eat a meal, and as of late, hadn't had a great amount of an appetite, Spike was never one to skip over food, even if it was over used bell peppers. Unsure of what was going on, especially after yesterday's occurance, he sat the food out, and went investigating.

First came Spike's room. He knocked and there was no answer, so then he kicked down the door. Meanwhile, Ed and Ein were helping themselves to the steaming plate of peppers that had been carelessly left alone with them. Jet entered the vacant room, discovering that Spike's bed wasn't even ruffled. It was still tidy and made. Angry, the captain of the ship charged down the hall to Faye's room and without bothering to knock, broke open the door. What he found was definatly not what he had assumed he would find. His two crew members were soundly sleeping in eachother's arms, under the covers of the Faye's futon. Smirking to himself he took a deep breath.

"RISE AND SHINE! TIME FOR BREAKFAST!"

Faye and Spike lazily answered in unison, "Shut up, Jet!" And returned to sleep.

"Fine, won't wake up when asked, then how about this?" Grabbing the corners of the bed, Jet lifted it up, flipping both of them off the mattress to the cold metal floor. "Good morning," he grinned at their shocked expressions as they laid on the floor in a heap of blankets and limbs.

Ed bounded into the room to see what all the commotion had been and seeing the sight laughed. "Hey! Edward wants to play too!"

Jetrolled his eyes.

* * *

**A/N:** I am terribly sorry that it took so long to find time to update. _(To: Goddess - I would have e-mailed you, but you never left me your e-mail address and if you have an account on here, you were never signed in when you reviewed.) _Usually, if I don't update in a while, I will at least find time to write a note in my proflie explaining why, as I did this time. I was having some family problems, as well as issues with my boyfriend of 1 1/2 years. So please excuse my absence for a month. I will try hard to make the next chapter appear sooner than this one. _Nev_


	14. Battle of the Belles

**Final Chapter: The Battle of the Belles**

**Faye (1st Person POV)**

Edward was furiously typing away in the living room, propped upside down against the old yellow couch when I finally got out of my bedroom. Spike was busy taking a shower and I had decided to grab something to eat before doing the same. Jet sat at the other end of the couch, leafing through several print outs that Ed had made earlier. Curious, I stop to read a few lines over his shoulder.

"What's all this?"

"New bounty head," he answered in his normal gruff tone. "Thought we needed a bit more of a challenge as of late. Haven't really gotten a good one since…" he gave me an apologetic shrug, not meaning to have brought up the incident. But I didn't mind. My night terrors were only a memory now. They had gone, disappeared just as my broken heart had. Now I was filled with something more important: hope.

I would be a fool to assume that suddenly my relationship with Spike was going to be all daisies and cherished kisses, vacations to exotic places, and a happily-ever-after lifestyle. I knew what the raw facts were. We were both bounty hunters and no matter how careful we were or how many times we covered for each other, there was always a chance that one or both of us wouldn't come back from the next mission. I had always known that, but until now, I had never cared, because I hadn't had anything worth living for. Now that I did, it threw things into a whole new perspective.

"You okay?" Jet asked, quickly, obviously regretting what he had said seconds before. He thought that I was still confined by the ghosts of my recent past. I smiled, laying my hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry about me, old man." And with that I turned for the kitchen, to find some grub.

"Old man!"

I grinned to myself as I walked past the stove and towards the fridge. Sometimes, Jet was too predictable. No wonder woman didn't like him. Girls liked excitement, surprises, not boring guys who always had to have a plan. Then again, when I needed someone to take care of me, Jet was the one who did it, without hesitation. I shrugged. Maybe it was time to change my mind on that opinion. It seemed a lot was already changing; why not just update my entire personality?

The contents of the refrigerator were few and far between. There was a moldy hunk of sharp cheddar in the right corner of the top shelf and a small bowel of badly bruised grapes. Under them lied a slab of chicken, which had a huge bite taken out of it. I guessed someone had held the door open long enough for Ein to get at it. Three guesses who had done that number. Finally, there was a box of baking soda to keep the items fresh and the large ice box smelling good. Stomach growling, I shut the door, hoping the cabinets held better luck.

As I did, a high pitched yell came bursting forth from Ed's lungs. I swear, that girl could be an opera singer if she toned her talent. "EDWARD'S FOUND HIM!" she screeched, and from the sound of things, she was literally jumping off the walls. I left my scavenger hunt to see what the fuss was about. Returning to the living room, I noticed Spike was done with his shower, now standing over Jet with a towel around his neck and his tooth brush sticking halfway out of his mouth. He always was a slob.

"His name is Izzie Franscesco. Age fourty-two. His past crimes were attempted rape, sabatoge, with holding information from the government, assault of an officer, manslaughter," Jet shook his head, "transporting weapons without a permit, theft of a big-time commercial ship, and hacking into the space gate mainframes. This guy's done just about everything in the book."

"And?" Spike asked. Everyone knew what he wanted to hear.

Jet sighed, "And he's worth 105,000,000 woolongs."

"Then let's go."

* * *

**Five Hours Later...**

I walked out of the morgue, shivering under the fabric of Spike's jacket. Jet's body had been so cold. There was no color in his pale skin as he lay, stretched out on that metal table. The doctor who had done the autopsy had taken one good look at him before shaking his head. We all knew what he had died of, but a formal report was required by law. The clicking sound of my boots on the linoleum floor was the only sound that reached my ears as I passed through the empty hospital corridor.

My phobia of hospitals had decreased greatly over the prior days, but I still despised being in there. The smell was nauseating. I was used to the steaming scent of grease as bell peppers were fried in the kitchen, meatless in the old, golden days. The unhealthy state of cleanliness was also a bother. Normally, I saw pile of clothes, crumbled cigarette boxes lying everywhere, a turned on computer left sitting on the table, and empty plates with soy sauce stains. This was a complete reverse of my life and it frightened me.

Spike had gone before me to say his final farewell. Now, he was sitting by the nurse's station, holding Jet's suit in an old, tattered sack. I knew he was blaming himself, hell, I was too, but there was nothing either of us could have done to prevent this. We were bounty hunters. We knew the risks we were taking when we signed on. There couldn't have been any other outcome.

He glanced up at me the moment my shadow fell across his body. "He's cold," I said, feeling as if my body was on ice, instead of my guardian's. Spike nodded, solemn as usual. This change, our new loss, had thrown him back on previous habits. Few words and deep stares were emitted from his face, much like the night he had returned from his fight with the Syndicate, the night Julia had died. I knew this version of him, but it had been so long since I had seen him in this way. Now he was foreign.

I ran my fingers over the collar of the blue coat, uncomfortable in my new situation. I had no where to go, I suddenly realized. The Bebop was Jet's craft and had been my home for the past years. Without him, how would I have shelter? The Redtail could be comfortable, but to live there…it wasn't the most appetizing place to occupy. I sighed, rubbing my temples as I tried to figure out what would become of the Bebop and of us, the crew.

"He left a will," Spike startled me, standing up. That was the last thing I had expected to hear come across his lips. "Let's go back to the ship. We'll have to open it sooner or later." Agreeing with his philosophy, I followed him out to the Swordfish and together, we piled in, me sitting on his lap, rather an awkward position now.

As we flew through space, heading for the hanger, I came to another realization: What would happen to Ed? She had come back to us because her father didn't need a child lagging around, but Jet had taken responsibility for her. Who would look after her now? Part of me wanted to step up, but I was the worst role model. Besides, kids and I don't get along. Period. Still, I couldn't think of life without her or her amazing hacking skills that had proved so useful. Yet, what could be done, I found myself asking again.

"What will we tell the kid," I asked, nonchalantly.

He shrugged. "I don't even know how old she is." I stared out the front windshield, pondering how to break the news to the spunky red-head. "How did she deal with my death?" he smirked, causing me to become more uneasy. This was polite conversation, something to be shared between two strangers, not us. I shifted my weight, my stomach flipping in wild loops.

"She was in denial about you, Spike," I admitted. "She was positive you were still out there."

He must have heard the unsteady quiver in my voice, because he grinned. "She was right."

The rest of our ride was completed in silence. The hum of the old race ship was the only music I could hear as we swam through the air. When we docked, the rustling of the ship caused me to slip off Spike's knees and in my attempt to catch myself I wound up inches from his lips. He stilled and I remained frozen. My hands were gripping his kneecaps as I bent forward towards him. He was sitting in the pilot seat, staring at me intently.

"S-sor-,"

Spike silenced me, leaning back in the chair and pulling me down on top of him. He kept his arms wrapped around my torso, holding me in place. I lost all use of my senses. Nothing seemed wrong anymore. Time vanished. My breathing slowed and my eyes closed as if I was in a trance. His lips touched mine, at first only slightly brushing over them, then fully pressing against them. I was grateful for the sudden compassion in his movements and parted my lips, opening up for the attack of his tongue. Minutes later, we got out of the Swordfish, still breathless from our escapade.

Together, we entered the living room, finding Ed and Ein sprawled out on the couch, the doy lying stretched over the kid's bare belly. I couldn't help but smile at that. Despite it all, Ed was still making me happy. In her sleep, she mumbled something incoherent before scratching her belly and nearly suffocating Ein in a tight squeeze of a hug.

"We should put her to bed," Spike commented.

I nodded in agreement, moving Ein aside so he could pick up Edward. Carefully, he carried her into her room and paced her down on her bed, making sure to cover her up with one of the sheets. I watched him, perplexed by the movements he made. It was as if he thought of Ed as an actual child instead of the insane rampaging lunatic she really was. It was another change in him. He pulled away, glancing over at me in the doorframe. Ein padded in, looking in between the two of us curiously, then nestled up on the bed with his good friend. Spike rubbed the mutt's ears and walked out. I moved so he could close the door and simultaneously, we sighed.

"Are we going to look at it now?" I asked, breaking the silence that had come between us.

"We'd better, before they reposses the ship." Once again, we returned to the living room. I lounged across one of the bright yellow chairs, while Spike settled down on the end of the couch. For a moment, we paused in the noiseless void, still trying to come to terms with what had happened and what was to come. "This is it," Spike said, dropping a small oval shaped mechanism on the table. "Why don't you open it?"

My fingers found the latch and I popped open the compartment. Immediately, the tiny object illuminated my face as a hallographic image of Jet appeared. Slowly, I set down the device so that Spike and I could both see it. Jet's figure sat in the compact staring ahead, then he spoke.

"If you two are watching this, then I'm gone. Don't worry about what will happen. I've already secured a deal for the title of the ship and custody over Edward." I blinked slowly. Jet always had a plan. He was always prepared. Why had I had my doubts? "To gain them both, you'll have to follow my instructions." He closed his eys adn sighed. Spike and I subconciously leaned closer to the hallogram. "You two have to get married."

"WHAT!"

"I've already contacted Ed's father in reguards to her safe keeping," Jet's voice continued after a momentary pause. "He was glad to know his daugther was safe, but he'd rather she have surrogate parents in the absence of me. As for the ship, the title will be handed over to Spike for the Bebop and Faye, you can have the Hammerhead, to sell or whatever. The rest of my belongings, including the bonsais you all hate so much, you can sell themand use the money towards food. Maybe without another mouth to fed, you'll actually get some beef, Spike," he chuckled.

"Jet," I whispered, at a loss.

Spike smiled sadly and shut the transmitter. "He's gone."

"I know."

"Get some sleep, Faye."

* * *

_Jet's famous cooking skills were at work again. I could smell the delicious scent of eggs lingering above my nostrils. I rolled onto my side, coming into contact with a warm body. Opening my eyes, I saw the body was Spike and he was eating a plate of bell peppers and beef...with actual beef. I smiled at him and went back to sleep. _

* * *

Waking up, I rolled toward the smell of Jet's eggs. I opened my eyes to find myself on the freezing cold floor of the living room. Reality set in. Jet wasn't relly in the kitchen cooking. He was dead. My nose was only remembering the dream I had had. Yet, lying there on my belly, the chilly metal made me realize that scent was real too. Curious, I got to my feet and hurried in to find Spike standing over a sizziling frying pan. 

"Morning," he greeted me, dumping the eggs onto an awaiting plate. Out of nowhere, Ed came running, stealing the plate out from under him, eggs and all. "Hey! That's my breakfast!" he yelled after her. The slamming sound of her door was the only reply he recieved. I laughed. "Ever think the reason we have to get married to claim the ship and have Ed is a punishment?" he asked, forgetting about the food.

"I didn't know you felt that way about me, Spike," I teased. He wasn't amused. "Ed can't go anywhere else. Besides, we're going to need her skills," I reminded him.

"Yeah," he agreed. He lit a cigarette, offering me a light, but I shook my head. "You want to take care of her, don't you?"

"I don't want her to leave," I admitted, not really sure what my feelings toward Ed were. I knew logically, I should only want her to tag along due to the nature of her impressive hacking skills. However, she had given me a "tomato" and had been the closest thing to a friend I had had since Linda, who was still doing time, after I had locked her away. In my opinion, I had excelled in the people I chose to have relationships with. "But if marriage isn't an option with you..." I stated, reminded of how I was required to gain custody of Ed.

"I already booked an opening at a casino church on Mars," he interrupted, quick to cut me off. He stomped out his cigarette. "Unless you don't want to go through with it."

"No," I said too quickly,"that's fine."

"Okay, then."He once again offered me a smoke. This time, I accepted. "You're going to need a dress," he remaked, leaning against the stove. "Do you have money?"

"Yeah."

"Good." He took a long drag, flicking the butt onto the ground to snuff it out. "I'll get a new suit."

I didn't know what to say to that. This relationship had come upon us so fast. Fate was pushing us and this hurried tornado was making my head spin. "You don't have to do that, or any of this," I said. "This isn't something either of us expected. Don't feel obligated. Don't spend your moeny on something you don't actually want or need." He yanked the cigarette out of my lips.

"What are you saying, Faye?"

"I just don't want to tie you down. I know I'm not exactly "Julia" material!" I couldn't hlep but shout that last part. I was getting emotional again.

"She wasn't ever like you. That's a good thin in some ways."

"Some?"

"Why do you always want a fight?"

"I didn't start this!" I shouted, angrily.

"Oh yeah?" he snapped.

I opened my mouth to retort when Spike's sleeve caught on fire. The lunkhead had been leaning on the burner switch. I kicked it off and patted out the flames with a hot pad. "Yeah," I hissed, stalking out to my room.

I changed out of my yellow outfit and into a business suitI had worn on many undercover jobs. It was professional looking with a slight seductive appeal. I put it on, since it was the classiest thing I owned. If I was going to go shopping for a wedding dress, I was going to do it right. I had pictured marrying Spike Speigel many times, but the conditions behind the sudden turn of events made me want to object. Love was alien to me, but I had always believed, in secret of course, that marriage was meant for love. That was why I had never been married or planned on it.

Ed came bouncing in, a piece of egg stuck on her cheek. "What's the Faye-Faye doing?" she asked, lifting one of my heels above her head as I tried to put it on my foot.

"I need to go find a new dress to wear," I informed her, checking my wallet to make sure I had enough woolongs.

"What for?" the ever curious child wondered.

"Spike and I are getting married," I sighed, my throat tightening. Ed, whistled, unaware of the trouble I was having with admitting it. So of course, her next move was to ask, "Why?", to which I had to respond with, "Because Jet won't be coming back." Tears threatened to fall, but I held myself together and finished putting my shoes on.

"Can Edward come with?" she pleaded, as I worked my unruly mess of hair into a sophisticated bun, complete with loose strands that normally made up my bangs. "Ed promises to be good."

"Okay," I relented.

"Can Ein come too?"

"No. A dog can't be in a dress shop, Edward."

"Oh," she pouted, but then, quickly lit back up. "Then will Spike-person take care of Ein-doggy?"

She still hadn't spoken of Jet, for which I was grateful. I patted her head, strolling out of my chamber to the hanger. Just as I predicted, she followed close behind. I passed Spike, who appeared to have come out of the shower. He was toweling down his face, probably pleased to have not been burned by the flames I had had put out previously. He stared me up and down, but didn't say anything about my choice of attire. Instead, he went back into his room. So Ed and I left. The two of us loaded into the Redtail and we took off to find a cheap dres with a non-cheap appeal.

* * *

After a couple hours(...more like three) of intense searching, I finally returned to the Bebop with a dress that seemed perfect. It was black, my signature color. Ed ahd actually been the one to find it, hidden on a rack in the back of one of the countless boutiques we had ventured to. It had straps the width of a ramen noodel that were criss-crossed across my back in an elaborate pattern. The front was low cut and the entire garmet reached down past my ankles. I knew most wedding dresses were completely opposite of this one, but this wasn't relly a wedding. It was just another bounty hunter play. 

"What took so long?" Spike asked as Ed raced by him to hug Ein. "I thought you only wanted a dress?"

"I got one," I informed him, without a hint of enthusiasm.

"And?"

"It was about a thousand," I shrugged, handing him the receipt as I moved by him to get to my room.

"A thousand fifty!" he shouted. "I didn't even pay half that on the suit I bought and I was back in half an hour!"

"Sorry! In case you haven't noticed, Spike, I'm a woman with a desire to spend, not a slobbish man! Besides, it was out of my own pocket!" And with that, I slammed my door in his face, promptly locking it afterwards.

I didn't speak to Spike the rest of the day. When my stomach started grumbling, I pulled myself off my bed and went to the kitchen. It wasn't until then that I realized I hadn't eaten anything since the night Jet was shot, right before we had gone out. If I had known then what I knew now, about what would have happened, I wouldn't have allowed him to go alone. But it was all in the past now. It was all gone, just like Jet.

Grabbing a bag of chips, I began to munch while searching for something of a higher nutritional value. There was, in fact, some meat products in the fridge. I guessed that Spike had gone grocery shopping while out to get a new suit. Using some vegetables and a couple chopped up pieces of beef, I made a slow simmering stew. I had seen Jet prepared this same dish with only vegetables before. Adding beef would only increase the delicious flavor.

"What are you doing in the dark?" a familiar voice asked, switching on the kitchen light. He stepped over, sniffing the rising air. "Yum. What is it?"

"Soup," came my one word answer, sharper than I intended it to be.

"Can I have some?"

"Show me your suit and I'll consider it," I told him. He left and then came back, not looking one detail different. "Where is it?" I asked.

"I'm wearing it!" he snapped, impatiently.

"You bought a replica suit!" I yelled.

"I needed a new one anyway," he retorted.

"But the same goddamn one!"

"Show me your dress," he demanded.

"No!"

"Why?"

"It's bad luck," I hissed, feeling pathetic for honoring the old tradition, but at this point, I didn't really care anymore. "You'll see it that day. Which is when, might I inquire?"

"A month from yesterday," he said in a silent manner. I understood the meaning. Jet would be dead for a month when they became legally bound. It was Spike's way of remembering him. I could see the reasoning in the actions and feel the honor he was giving Jet. "Is that alright with you?"

"Yeah," I smiled, and ladled him a cup of soup.

"Thanks."

"No problem," I replied, getting some for myself. He grabbed a couple of beers and we settled down in the living room in front of the television. Spike kicked the machine on and soon we were watching Big Shot just like any other day.

_Yep, no problem. _

The month passed rather uneventfully. We received our reward for handing in the bounty. It was a nice sum, though it hardly felt worth it. We used about an eighth of it to fix up the Bebop and fill it with proper fuel. Spike and I cleared out Jet's room and his bonsai sanctuary. We turned it into one big research station for Ed, so she didn't have to use all her stuff out in the living room. We made sure the station was loaded with some of the newest and best additions for her "tomato" as well. The changes were good and our bank account was stable for once. But even as the day came upon us, we were all still mourning.

I took a long bath that day. The hot water relaxed my muscles, but nothing could relax my mind. I was far too nervous. I had never wanted a huge, glorious wedding, but to be marrying the man I loved without knowing his true feelings for me, it was eating away at me, literally. After an hour or so, my body was warmer than the water which surrounded me. I carefully got out and dried off. Making sure the hall was clear, I walked to my room in my toga-styled towel. For some reason, I was feeling very modest.

I styled my hair, adding to the bun design I had worn when shopping for my gown, by accenting it with flower buds. Then I put on hints of makeup, just to lighten certain features of my face. Finally, I pulled my dress out from its hiding place under my bed. Slipping inot it, I closed my eyes, relishing the smooth feel of the fabric as it caressed my skin. Deeming myself ready to go out, I grabbed my shoes and headed toward the hanger, where I knew Spike would be waiting for me.

When I entered the cold room, my eyes centered on him, dressed in seemingly the same attire I had met him in, smirking that age-old Speigel grin, and causing my heart to fly out of my throat. I didn't knwo what to say, so I just stood there watching him watch me. The sounds around us made the silence between us more prominent, so evetunally, he opened his mouth.

"We should be going."

The two of us piled inot the Hammerhead, which we were going to sell on the way back. It would be the last of Jet's possesions to go. Hooked up to the back was the Swordfish, so we'd have transportation. Ed was already waiting when I took a seat behind Spike. She was dolled up in a pink sundress and bonnet while Ein was wearing a lace collar. Unlike Ed, he did not seem pleased with his choice of clothing. Spike started the ship and the three of us departed from the Bebop, never to return the same again.

The casino was called _Cuesta_ meaning "Pay Up" or "Costs." It was an old Spanish mission that had been renovated into a house of sin, most extrodinary. Drugs, sex, and money hung in the air, thick with cigarette smoke. Ed was looking around in amazement, Ein mimicking her as he tried to blend in with the crimson carpet and the rainbow array of shoes. Spike was holding my hand, guiding me through the sea of people. Unlike the many times we had pretended to be lovers for thte sake of our job, now we did this of our own free will. It was reassuring to feel his hand over mine. It made me think a part of him wanted this as much as I did.

Poker tables lined in green material and slot machines drew crowds of people who were eagerly awaiting a turn of luck. While passing one player, I couldn't fight the temptation to tell him to fold. He won. Spike saw this move on my part and chuckled. "Lady Luck is still with us, eh?" he commented in his normal tone. I grinned back, ever so thankful that he was in a good mood. We reached the back of the casino and came upon the chapel doors.

Spike held the door open for Ed, Ein, and I. We all walked inside in that exact order. There was a ceremony going on, so I let Ed take Ein for a walk around the room, making her promise not to bug the priest or the other couple. She disappeared from my sight in moments. Spike didn't appear at all worried, but I wanted to keep her safe so instead of lighting up, I kept my eyes peeled for any strange movement.

"Calm down, will ya?" he finally said, nudging me as he watched the other couple say their vowels. "Here," he held out a smoke. I shook my head, pushing his offering away. "You don't want it?"

"I've decided to quit," I lied. In truth, I had been considering it, but I didn't think I'd be able to resist the call of the drug with him lingering around me for the remainder of my life. My eyes were still moving about, trying to locate Edward.

"Ready?" he questioned, taking my hand once again. I noticed the other couple had departed and now the priest was motioning to us to come over. I don't remember what happened. I can't recall walking to the altar or how everything got started. I was in the far corners of my mind, just like my dress had been in the store. I was thinking of everything but getting married to Spike Speigel.

I thought of a night a month ago. I could remember the way Spike made me promise to stick close and watch my back. I recalled how Ed had been hidden in my RedTail in case something went wrong. She was only a little girl, afterall. I could picture the way Jet had slunk around to the back door, while we broke in through the front. That's where we had gone wrong. Spike and I should had taken the back. Two on one would have been better odds than one on one.

I hadn't seen the fatal shot, but I had heard it. I could see it happening if I closed my eyes. When I closed my eyes I could see Jet opening the door and Izzie stepping out from the shadows with his gun cocked. I could see how Jet's eyes would have whitened and then hear the thundering boom as he took the shot in his chest. I had had to hear it, without actually being a witness to his death. That was, perhaps, the worst part. Spike had sprinted away from me when he heard the sound and I had peered out the second story window to see the bounty escaping.

I'm not really sure what went through my mind at that moment, but before I knew it, I was flying out of the window. I landed on top of Izzie, knocking him out.I made sure to unarm him and lock him up in the Hammerhead, then I went to find the guys. Seeing Jet that way...running off to find them had been a mistake. He was bleeding badly from three bullets, which had all hit him deep in the left cavity of his chest. Staring at him, wordless, at that moment, I knew he wouldn't make it, but I still made Spike get him into the ship. I still forced him to take us to the hospital. And for what?

I had to stop thinking about it. I made myself think of something else. Anything else. I thought of the time the four of us had gone to the beach on Earth. Ed had asked to go. We hadn't had any bounties to catch so Jet decided we'd take a vacation. We had laid out on the beach under the hot sun for hours, talking about stupid things; what shapes the clouds were, what rhythm the ocean was playing, how nice it was not to be shot at, etc. I wondered if anything like that woudl ever happen again.

Spike squeezing my hand, drew me out of my memories. I glanced at him and he smiled. The priest was already done his speech, ending with the one line that made all couples nervous. "If anyone feels taht these two should not be wed, speak now or forever hold your peace." There was a pause of absolute silence, then he opened his mouth to finish, but what we heard was not his voice. What we heard escape from his lips was a very feminine...

"WAIT!"

Simultaneously, we pivoted around, in one sharp motion, me reaching for the hilt of my gun, and Spike doing the same. It was out of pure instinct. The scene before my eyes shattered all my hope and all the feelings I had kept locked away. There was one woman standing in the doorway of the chapel. Julia, out of breath, and quite alive, was present. Spike stepped towards her while I shrunk back, shaking my head. "No," I whispered, unable to cry because of the shock pulsating through my body.

"Julia?" Spike whispered.

She didn't respond to him, just stood there, staring. I swallowed the lump in my throat. "Spike?" He turned, his eyes on me, those brown orbs of his, once a shade darker than the other. "I hope you'll be happy," I told him. And I meant it with all my heart, though it was killing me to say so. That's when I realized I truly loved him. I loved him enough to let him go, enough to let him runaway from our wedding to be with the first love of his life. God, did it hurt.

"I will."

I whimpered. It was, perhaps, the cruelest thing he had ever said to me. A tear appeared, falling off my cheek, but then I saw he wasn't moving. He was still by my side. He glanced at Julia, then looked at me. "Goodbye," he said and the tears began to gush freely. He touched me, right on the shoulder, and I yanked away from him.

"Just go!" I snapped, angry that my emotions were showing. "Leave with her!"

He smirked, brushing a lock of purple hair out of my eyes. "I want to stay with you." My eyes widened as he gestured to the priest to continue, but before the figure of authority did, he said, "Bye Julia." Suddenly, as if that was her cue, Ed leaped out of nowhere, smashing through the blonde-haired angel. _Through?_ I blinked, as did Spike. The mysterious ex was nothing more than a hallographic image.

"What the hell?" Spike snapped, as Ed pounced onto him, climbing up onto his shoulders with a round of her normal insane giggles. "Ed! What is going on?"

"The Jet-Captain made Ed promise that should Faye-Faye and the Spike-person ever get married, the Spike-person make sure he love the Faye-Faye with his whole heartsy-heartsy," she said, as if that were explanation enough. "He told Edward to do this and if the Spike-person left the Faye-Faye, then everything became property of the Faye-Faye and the Spike-person got nothing! Kaboom!" She threw herself off of him, doinga line of three flips backwards down the aisle.

"Right," Spike said, scratching his head as he tried to comprehend everything.

"Can we continue now? I do have other appointments," the priest sighed, impatiently.

"Yeah, get to it," Spike ordered, recieving a rather hateful glare in response. He lit a cigarette, which I, in turn, yanked from out of his lips. But instead of yelling at me, he just smirked and took my hand. The speech was done and permission for Spike to kiss me was finally granted. And he did with an amazing push of passion. However, before we could go any further, we were rudely interrupted.

"Yay! Now Ed is official property of the Faye-Faye and the Spike-person! And soon they will have a tomato!"

"ED!"

_You've got a family now, Space Cowboy. _

**END**

* * *

**A/N**: Thank you for supporting this fic, to all who reviewed and just liked it enough to read. For those who questioned the reference to Linda in the earlier portions of the chapter, read the second volumne of the Cowboy Bebop Manga. It has a section devoted to Faye's past and you encounter how she learned to hustle. The woman who taught her was named Linda and later, Faye meets up with her again and has to collect a bounty on her. Thanks to everyone again. This has been a great experience! _Neveada Sierriana_


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